Prevalence of Psychological Problems in Adolescents

Abstract

The current descriptive study was conducted to explore the psychological problems faced by adolescents and their influence on different areas of adolescents’ everyday lives. A sample of 355 adolescents (186 males and 169 females) was recruited from different sector secondary schools of Karachi, Pakistan. The age range of the sample was from 10 to 17 years (Mean= 14.4 years; SD = 1.57). Their education level was from 6th to 11th grade. A Demographic and Personal Information Form and a SemiStructured Interview Form of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997) was administered on the participants to determine the problems of adolescents. Descriptive statistics were calculated by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, V-20.0). The results revealed that 53.3 % participants reported to have difficulties in areas of emotions, concentration, and behavior and have problems in getting on with other people. Furthermore among those who are facing difficulties, 38.1% reported that they have minor problems, 10.1% reported to have definite problems and 5.1% reported to have severe problems. In addition 8.5% reported to have a lot of distress due to these difficulties. Limitations of the study and its implications are discussed.