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High‐risk health behaviors predict depression among school‐going adolescents: the need for integration of mental health with school health program in India
Author(s) -
Chauhan Pooja A.,
Rupani Mihir Prafulbhai
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.22627
Subject(s) - depression (economics) , mental health , logistic regression , psychological intervention , overweight , medicine , feeling , psychiatry , psychology , environmental health , gerontology , clinical psychology , obesity , social psychology , economics , macroeconomics
Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of depression and to determine whether high‐risk health behaviors were associated with it among school‐going adolescents, thereby assessing the need to integrate mental health services with the school health program. We conducted a cross‐sectional study among 260 adolescents in schools of Bhavnagar city (western India) during January–October 2017. To assess depression, Beck Depression Inventory‐II (BDI‐II) was used and high‐risk health behaviors were assessed by the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) tool. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to assess whether high‐risk health behaviors were independent predictors of depression. The prevalence of depression was found to be 43%. Among high‐risk health behaviors, adolescents carrying a sharp weapon to the school was the lowest (4%) and not eating breakfast was the highest (88%). On multiple logistic regression, feeling unsafe at school, self‐perception regarding overweight, being a female, not living with both parents in the same house, being unhappy with school performance, having illness/seriously injured, and immediate family member being seriously ill/injured were found to be the significant predictors of depression among the adolescents. There is a need to address mental health issues like depression and high‐risk health behaviors under the school health program through screening interventions.