Urban-rural differences in student mental health: the Hong Kong scene.
Student mental health of Hong Kong urban and rural fifth formers and sixth-formers was assessed by examining their scores obtained from the General Health Questionnaire twice administered. The first administration was done soon after commencement of a school term and served as a baseline measure, and the second was done six weeks before the fifth-formers took an important public examination, a significantly stressful event. The results indicated that all groups of fifth-formers showed an increase in mean scores, reaching statistical significance only in urban boys and rural girls. The latter finding was used to explain urban-rural differences in mean scores. The significance of severe examination distress and its possible late psychiatric sequelae remained unanswered.
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006262:Health; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012423:Rural Health; D012923:Social Class; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D013334:Students; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology; D014504:Urban Health