Assessment of the Behavioural Problems among Adolescents of a Selected School in New Delhi

Introduction: Behavioural problems among school-going children are a matter of concern as they have serious consequences on the child, family, and society at large. Despite the high prevalence, there are very few studies related to behavioural issues among school children. The main objectives of the study were to assess and compare the behavioural problems among boys and girls. Method: A quantitative research approach and comparative research design were used. A total of 100 adolescent boys and girls were chosen from the selected school of Delhi by convenient sampling techniques. A structured rating scale was used to assess the behavioural problems among adolescent boys and girls. Result: The study showed that the majority of the participants (91%) had mild behavioural problems, 8% had moderate behavioural problems, and only 1% was found with severe behavioural problems. Conclusion: The study concluded that adolescents studying in school were having behavioural problems. The scores for eating disorders were more in boys than in girls whereas violent behaviour was equally common. Substance abuse was found to be the least common behavioural problem among both adolescent boys and girls.

Assessment of Social Functioning among Adolescent School Children in Manipur: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Globally 10-20% of adolescents experience mental health disorders. The greater part of disease being subclinical, identification has been a big challenge. Social functioning impairment is a sensitive indicator of underlying mental disorder. It forms a baseline for early identification of mental disorders. Objectives: The study plans to assess the social functioning skill and its associated factors among adolescent school children. Methods: The study was conducted among 3200 school-going adolescents studying in class 9th to 12th attending government and private schools located in Imphal-East and Bishnupur districts of Manipur recruited by stratified random sampling technique. The Child and Adolescent Social and Adaptive Functioning Scale (CASAFS), a validated tool consisting of 24 items designed to measure psychosocial functioning, was used. Descriptive and analytical statistics were generated taking p < 0.05 as level of significance. Results: A total of 25 schools were sampled with females constituting 52.3%. Overall 21.8% had good social adaptive functioning skills whereas 29.6% showed poor skills. Around 36.3% showed poor performance in ‘peer relationship domain’ and 27.1% showed poor performance in ‘self-care/ home domain’. Socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, number of siblings, and education of parents were found to be significantly associated with having ‘good social adaptive functioning skill’(p < 0.05). Conclusion: A significant proportion of adolescents face psychosocial issues in their day to day life. Improving social skills will be an effective intervention to reduce mental disorders.

Regional Disparities and Determinants of Caesarean Deliveries in India

Background: The caesarean rate in India has been increased from 8.5% (NFHS-III) during 2005-06 to 17.2% (NFHS-IV) during 2015-16. Objective: The main objective of the study is to assess the regional disparities and determinants of caesarean deliveries in India. Material and Method: It is a descriptive study. The fourth round of National Family Health Survey, India (NFHS-4), conducted in 2015-16 has been analysed for the purpose of this study. Result: The study found that the C-section deliveries are significantly higher in southern region followed by western region in India. Social factors such as higher education of mother, residing in urban area, belong to richest wealth group, mothers belong to non-SC/ST category are more likely to opt for C-section delivery. Evidence also indicates that risk factors like high age of mother, high birth order, complicated pregnancy, multiple births, size of child at birth, weight of child at birth significantly influences the decision of C-section deliveries. Institutional and Individual Behavioural Factors such as number of ANC visit, place of delivery, access to mass media are also significant determinants of opting C-section delivery. Delivering high quality timely care and counselling measures throughout the gestation period as a measure to minimise C-section deliveries is the responsibility of every midwife healthcare provider, is an effective way. There is an urgent need to monitor the deliveries in clinics and hospitals to find out the right balance between demand and provisioning of high quality health care services.

Creating Awareness about Adolescent Reproductive Health among Upper Primary School Students in Haryana through the Use of Interactive e-Modules

Adolescents are the prospective citizens of any nation; therefore, investment in terms of the well-being of adolescents is considered quite rewarding. Adolescents are now attaining biological maturity earlier than the previous generation, as witnessed by the gradual decline in average age of puberty and menarche; hence, it becomes imperative to address this cohort of the population. Integration of technology in the field of education has been an area of research for a long. The present study attempts to use digital technology in the form of e-modules created through H5P in creating awareness about adolescent reproductive health on upper primary school students. A sample of 309 students from randomly selected ten unaided private schools of Sonipat district of Haryana was taken. Interactive e-modules were developed for addressing adolescent reproductive health. After the pre-test administration, the experimental group was taught through e-modules and the control group was taught through the conventional method. The data was collected through validated tools over a period of three months. A post-test was conducted afterward to assess the awareness level. After ascertaining comparability of the two groups, data was analyzed using percentage and t-statistics. The data analysis showed that the difference in the mean and standard deviation of the post-test scores of the experimental group 20.50 ± 3.40 and the control group 15.72 ± 4.03 were statistically significant at 0.001 level (t value = 11.26, d.f. = 297). Thus, the study concludes that the interactive e-modules effectively create awareness about adolescent reproductive health at the upper primary school stage.

Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety and Stress among School Going Adolescents and their Relationship to Socioeconomic Status

Introduction: Adolescence is a phase involving risk taking, autonomy, adventure and efforts to fit into adulthood. Physical and emotional changes, peers, social media, education, family expectations etc. make individuals vulnerable. Aims: To study the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress in school going adolescents from 9th -12th standard from Bagdogra, to examine the association with family factors and Socio Economic Status and to identify the co-morbidities between Depression, Anxiety and Stress. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out using DASS-21 scale on a total of 231 students. In addition, a self-structured questionnaire on family structure and socio economic status was administered and SPSS software was used for analysis. Result: Overall, 76.2% had at least one of the mental morbidities under study. Depression was significantly more common in class 12th, (28.4%), 9th (28.4%) &10th (27.6%) and stress was significantly common in 12th(55.4%) & 10th (55.2%). There was no significant difference in relation to age, sex, family structure and socioeconomic status. All mental morbidities more frequently occurred in combination with each other, rather than exclusively. Depression most frequently occurred with stress (8 times) followed by anxiety (4 times), whereas anxiety was 6 times more likely to occur with stress. Conclusions: Almost 3 out of 4 children had symptoms related to at least one of the mental morbidities discussed. Depression and stress was significantly more prevalent in students answering board exams (class 10th and 12th) than those not answering board exams. Depression, Anxiety and Stress were highly correlated with each other.

Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties in Adolescents during COVID-19: Implications for Planning Community Based Interventions

Background: The study aimed at assessing the emotional and behavioral difficulties in adolescents using the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire. The challenges brought forth due to the COVID-19 shut down of educational institutions has created additional distress due to a lack of routine and separation from one’s peer group. Being closeted with a family for prolonged duration can exacerbate pre-existing vulnerabilities of conflict and mental health issues. Method: Both males and females were selected for the study. The age of the participants was 16-18 years. The total sample size was 140 (mean age 17.5, SD 2.5), with 70 males (mean age- 17, SD 1.5) and 70 females (mean age - 16.5, SD 2.8). The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire by Goodman et al. (1998) was used, as also a detailed clinical case study was taken to identify pertinent issues and concerns. Result: The study found significant gender differences in prosocial behavior and peer relationships in adolescents, and we assume that a role parity and empathy may be the linking factor between prosocial behavior and peer relationships. A case study is also discussed from the practitioner’s perspective that brings into focus the increased consultations due to the stressful times. Findings also bring out a need for inculcating life skills in adolescents for recognizing and managing their stressors; incorporating a balance between internalizing and sharing their feelings. Conclusion: Interventions such as yoga, physical activities that maintain distance such as aerobics to mediate stress under lockdown can be undertaken at community level. The study showed that correlations may be present between conduct problems and emotional behaviors due to similar causal factors but more research is needed in the said field.

Correlation between Stigma and Adherence to ART among HIV-Positive Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Despite the prominence of youth on the global agenda, young people are often left behind in national HIV responses. UNAIDS estimates indicate that AIDS-related deaths among young people are increasing. One of the reasons for this is poor prioritization of adolescents in national plans for scale-up of HIV testing, treatment and counseling services. The objectives of the current study was to: (1) To understand the social issues such as stigma and disclosure faced by them (2) To document the adherence to ART among them and study the effect of stigma on it. The cross-sectional study was conducted at HIV clinic, at ART Centre, Surat (Tertiary Care Level Institute) among adolescents between age-group 13-19 years during December-2015 to February-2016. By purposive sampling following desk review of Hospital data, 105 participants were enrolled. Frequency distribution, Factor analysis and Correlation were utilized for analysis. Around 80% feared that they will lose their friends if they came to know about their serostatus. Factor analysis yielded 2 factors- Blaming and Distancing. These two factor scores were found significantly correlated to adherence to ART. Only 7% chose to share about the status with friends outside the family. The study findings suggest that there is a need for prioritizing adolescent health among seropositives as their difficulties are different than children and adults in handling social issues like stigma due to their age and peer pressure. The lack of knowledge and fear of stigma among them if not addressed may lead to poor adherence to treatment and therefore, clinical complications.

Perception of Sexuality and Body Image among Adolescent Girls

Background: Adolescence is a phase during which major developments of sexuality take place. Development of sexuality is an important bio-psycho-social development, which takes an adult shape during this period. Objective: To study how adolescent girls perceive changes in their bodies during the growing period of adolescence and to study their sexual behaviour during this period. Methodology: The study was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted among adolescent girls undergoing vocational training course at the rural health center. 100 participants enrolled in the institute for the course were included. A semi-structured questionnaire was prepared with informed assent. One to one interviews were conducted maintaining privacy, Data were statistically analysed using SPSS version 23. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 16.02+/-1.2 years. We found that a prior awareness of menses is significantly related to a good feeling after menarche. About a third of the Community Health Workers (CHWs) felt shy or weird about their breast changes during adolescence and 66% were unhappy about their heights. 66% of the adolescents were practising masturbation and 38% among them were open to a physical relationship. 60% of them were not aware of medical intervention and 28% admitted to having experienced sexual assault. Conclusion: Understanding adolescent development and the factors influencing it is of utmost importance as it will help the parents to guide their children in the crossroads of adolescence. Due to incomplete knowledge, accepting bodily changes during adolescence becomes difficult. We, as public health experts, need to commit to an educative practice of support for adolescents.

Exploring Existential Anxiety among Indian Youth: Prevalence and Gender Differences

Background: Existential anxiety (EA) refers to the feeling of uncertainty regarding life and its meaning. It is gaining increasing attention on social media in the form of existential humour. The present study aimed to explore the prevalence of EA among Indian youth and gender differences among those experiencing EA. Method: The sample consisted of 30 males and 39 females (N = 69) falling in the age range of 17-29 years. The quantitative tool used was the Existential Concerns Questionnaire. For the qualitative aspect, three open-ended questions were given at the end of the scale. Result: Upon analysing the quantitative data, it was found that there existed no significant differences (p = 0.24) between the EA levels of males (M = 52.53, SD = 16.73; moderate) and females (M = 56.97, SD = 14.20; moderate). Thematic network analysis of the qualitative data revealed common themes amongst the genders (uncertainty, negative emotions, competition/ success, meaning-making, social media, and life events). The only theme that was present among females was that of social pressures. Conclusion: There is a medium-low EA prevalence rate among the participants. Furthermore, major gender differences don’t seem to exist in the experience of such anxiety, barring the theme of social pressures which affects the females.

Parental Attachment and Psychological Wellbeing in Adolescents: Mediating Role of Self-esteem

Introduction: Adolescence is amongst the most rapid stage of human development. It is the period to create knowledge and skills, learn to mange emotions, obtain attributes and capacities and relationships with parents and peers. All these aspects are important for enjoying these years and assuming the roles of adults. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between parental attachment, self-esteem and psychological wellbeing of adolescents. Methods: The participants were 292 adolescents with age ranging from 13 to 18 years. Inventory for parent and peer attachment (IPPA) by Armsden and Greenberg self-esteem scale by Rosenberg and psychological wellbeing scale by Ryff were used to measure the parental attachment, self-esteem, and psychological wellbeing in adolescents. Result: Results indicated that the the correlation value of parental attachment and psychological wellbeing was found be 0.306. The value of correlation value for self-esteem and psychological wellbeing was found to be 0.342. Conclusion: Significant positive relationship was found between parental attachment, self-esteem, and psychological wellbeing. The mediation analysis has shown that self-esteem partially mediates the relationship between parental attachment and psychological wellbeing among adolescents.