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Prevalence of psychological distress experienced by adolescents in secondary schools
Adolescents in secondary schools face a variety of psychological difficulties, the majority of
which are scholastic in nature. Academic stress was the largest risk factor for depression and
anxiety among adolescents in secondary schools, according to a study conducted by Lui,
Strodl, Hou, and Sun (2017) on academic stress and mental health among teenagers in
Shenzhen, China. The study used a cross-sectional research approach, with 6,638 pupils from
primary and secondary schools receiving self-reported questionnaires via stratified cluster
sampling. Descriptive statistics and regressions were used to analyze the data. Adolescents in
schools face a variety of mental health difficulties, according to the research. This study,
however, was done among Chinese adolescents. As a result, the current study sought to
identify the many types of psychological distress that teenagers in Kenyan private secondary
schools face. The current study's findings were concerning in that they demonstrated a high
prevalence of anxiety, stress, depression, drug misuse, and suicidal ideation symptoms, among
other typical mental health difficulties, among adolescents in private secondary schools in
Nairobi County.
Anxiety disorders in teenagers can lead to major psychosomatic difficulties, interfering with
the adolescent's regular functioning. In Enugu, South East Nigeria, a study was done with the
goal of evaluating the pattern and characteristics associated with anxiety disorders among
secondary school students. It was a cross-sectional observational study that looked at several
types of anxiety disorders among adolescents aged 11 to 20 who were in secondary school.
Using a simple random sampling procedure, a sample of 1500 teenagers was obtained. The
data was collected using a questionnaire based on the Revised Manifest Anxiety Scale
(RCMAS). To evaluate the association between gender, general worry, and physiological
components of anxiety, the data was analyzed using Chi-square. The odds ratio was used to
compare the social class of various parents of adolescents who showed anxiety verses parents
of adolescents who did not. 384 (34.1%) of the teenagers showed generalized anxiety,
according to the data.
When separated into distinct types of anxiety, 188 (17.7%) had physiological components,
674 (59.9%) had worry, and 399 (35.5%) had attention problems. The link between sex and
general anxiety was statistically significant. Again, there was a strong link between sex and
anxiety's physiological components. In addition, there was a statistically significant link
between sex and the anxiety components worry and focus. As a result, the study indicated that
adolescents in secondary schools suffer from a wide range of anxiety disorders (Chinawa et
al., 2018). This is a study that clearly demonstrates how mental health concerns affect
adolescents in Nigerian secondary schools. The current study sought to fill a gap in the
knowledge of how anxiety manifested itself among Kenyan adolescents in private secondary
schools, the findings was that 52.1 percent had extremely severe anxiety symptoms, 14.5
percent had severe anxiety symptoms, 15.3 percent had moderate anxiety symptoms, and 5.8
percent had mild anxiety symptoms.
Suicide and suicidal ideation are both clear indications of psychological anguish. Suicide
appears to be fairly common among adolescents in Ghana. According to a study conducted
countrywide in Ghana on the incidence and correlates of suicidal behaviors among
adolescents in senior high schools, 18.2 percent of adolescents had suicidal ideation, 22.5
percent had suicidal plans, and 22.2 percent had attempted suicide. Increased loneliness,
bullying, physical attacks, physical conflicts, and food insecurity were all linked to mental
health difficulties. The study used a cross-sectional survey and data collected through closed-
ended questionnaires from a sample of 25 senior high schools chosen through two-stage
cluster sampling (probability proportionate and random sampling), with a total of 1984
students as respondents (Oppong, Kugbey, Osafo, Nii, and Owusu) (2017). The currents study
filled in the gaps by demonstrating that suicidal ideation was also present among Kenyan
adolescents in private secondary schools. Three guidance and counseling teachers, reported in
agreement to this fact.
Gender, which is an intervening variable in this study, appears to have a crucial role in the
prevalence of psychological distress among secondary school students. According to Nabunya
et al. (2020), adolescent females and young women are three times more likely than boys to
suffer from depression. The frequency and correlates of depressive symptoms among high
school adolescent females in South Uganda were investigated in this study. It was a
longitudinal cluster study with 1260 adolescent girls from 47 schools as participants. Beck's
Depression Inventory was used to assess depressive symptoms. Depression was shown to be
very common among older teenage girls, according to the data. This Ugandan study clearly
demonstrates how Ugandan teenagers, particularly girls, struggle with psychological well-
being concerns. Gender did not influence the manifestation of depression symptoms among
teenagers in private secondary schools, according to the current study, which found that both
genders had a reasonably distributed mean on depression, with both indicating moderate
depression symptoms.
Parents and mental health professionals are concerned about behavioral and emotional issues
during the early years and adolescence stages of development. This is due to the fact that
young people are becoming increasingly difficult to govern in society, particularly in schools.
Magai, Malik, and Koot (2018) conducted a study on emotional and behavioral disorders in
children and adolescents in Central Kenya, and found that Kenyan youth had higher
internalizing problems. The borderline score was 22%, with girls scoring higher than boys.
Simple random, stratified, and systemic sampling strategies were used in this descriptive
survey of Kenyan parents and youth living in Central Kenya. The data was acquired from
1022 parents and 533 teenagers using Child Behavior Checklist Reports and Youth Self-
Reports from the respondents. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. It is clear
from this study that Kenyan adolescents are dealing with psychological concerns. The current
study's findings are consistent with this study's findings, indicating that Kenyan teenagers are
dealing with mental health issues.
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