Abstract

Background: Adolescence being a vital transition in an individual’s life; care for their physical as well as psychological well-being should be given utmost priority. There are limited data on the prevalence of psychological distress especially in rural West Bengal.

Aims and Objectives: This study envisaged to assess the magnitude of psychological distress among school-going adolescents in a rural area of North 24-Parganas, West Bengal and determine its associated factors.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done among 263 rural school-going adolescents using a pre-designed questionnaire. General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12) was used for assessing the presence of psychological distress. Binary logistic regression analysis was done to determine the associated factors of psychological distress.

Results: The mean age of study participants was 15.65 ± 1.65 years, and 63.8% were female. The median score of the GHQ-12 scale was 14 (interquartile range [IQR] = 12–16); 135 (51.3%) had high psychological distress. Factors significantly associated with the presence of high psychological distress were increasing age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.15–1.35), female gender (AOR = 2.32, 95% CI = 1.95–3.66), and Class IV or below socioeconomic status (AOR = 2.46, 95% CI = 1.56–5.66).

Conclusion: A significant proportion of participants were detected to have high levels of psychological distress. Awareness campaigns at the community level with motivation and counseling sessions for at-risk individuals should be given utmost priority.

Key words: Adolescents; Psychological Distress; General Health Questionnaire; Rural West Bengal