Assessment of mental health status of senior secondary school children in Delhi.
BACKGROUND
Schoolchildren undergo rapid mental, emotional, and social changes and are susceptible to psychiatric disorders.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to assess the mental health status and some determinants in senior secondary school children in Delhi.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 458 children, selected by 2-stage sampling. Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire containing 60 items (GHQ-60) was used for assessment of mental health.


RESULTS
GHQ was administered to 239 boys and 219 girls in the age group of 15 to 20 years. Of 458 students, 113 (24.7%) had a score>or=16, the cutoff score, indicating mental morbidity among them. Among boys and girls, 28.5% and 20.5%, respectively, had some component of mental morbidity. Morbidity was significantly higher in children hailing from nuclear families and among children who had either failed or those who had scored highest in the class.


CONCLUSIONS
Mental health needs of schoolchildren need to be addressed by the school health services.
Dhuria
Meera
M
Department of Community Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India. miradhuria@yahoo.com
Sharma
Nandini
N
Taneja
Devender Kumar
DK
Kumar
Rajesh
R
Ingle
Gopal Krishan
GK
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012572:School Health Services; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*