ACADEMIC STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AMONG IN-SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS IN IBADAN

Abstract

Background: Adolescence is a period of transition from the immaturity of childhood into the maturity of adulthood. During this period, adolescents undergo a process of physical, psychological, cognitive, social and emotional changes. As these transitions occur, adolescents are likely to face various challenges that may result in mental health problems. This makes Adolescents particularly vulnerable to the problems associated with academic stress such as class workload , need for perfection , worry over grades, parental pressure, and competition. Studies have established that, academic stress is associated with mental health problems of the adolescents. There is a paucity of studies on the relationship between academic stress and mental health problems among secondary school students in Nigeria. This study therefore aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of academic stress and mental health problems among senior secondary school adolescents. Methodology: This was a cross sectional study in which six secondary schools were randomly selected from a list of all secondary schools in Akinyele, Local Government, Ibadan. A total of 366 senior secondary school students were randomly selected from the six schools. A socio-demographic questionnaire was used to obtain the students’ background information. The Educational Stress Scale for adolescents (ESSA) was used to assess academic stress, Beck Depression Inventory used to assess depression, Beck Anxiety Inventory was used to assess anxiety and Scale for suicidal Ideation was used to assess suicidal ideation. Results: There were 45.9% males and 54.1% females with age range between 11 to 19years, mean age was 15years SD = 1.77. Reported prevalence of academic stress was 45.1%. and reported prevalence of mental health problems showed depression 41.8%, anxiety 29% and suicidal ideation of 38.8% . Socio-demographic correlates of academic stress showed that adolescents in public secondary school were 2 times more likely (OR=2.33, 95% CI=1.3 - 4.1) (p<0.05) to report academic stress than adolescents in private secondary schools. Adolescents in SSS 2 class were 3 times more likely (OR= 3.15, 95% CI=1.8 - 5.5) (p<0.05) to report academic stress than adolescents in SSS 1 and SSS 3 classes. Female adolescents were 1.56 times more likely (OR= 1.56, 95% CI=0.4 - 0.9) (p<0.05) to report academic stress than male adolescents. Adolescents belonging to class of over 25 members were 2 times more likely (OR = 2.17, 95% CI=0.2 - 0.7) (p<0.05) to report academic stress than adolescents belonging to class of 0 - 25 members. Socio-demographic correlates of depression showed that adolescents belonging to polygamous families were 1.85 times more likely (OR =1.85, 95% CI=1.1 - 2.9) (p<0.05) to report depression than adolescents belonging to monogamous families. Adolescents belonging to class of over 25 members were 1.8 times more likely (OR = 1.80, 95% CI=1.1 - 2.8) (p<0.05) to report depression than adolescents belonging to class of 0 - 25 members. Socio-demographic correlates of anxiety showed that adolescents in private secondary schools were 2 times more likely (OR= 2.11, 95% CI=0.2 - 0.8) (p<0.05) to report anxiety than adolescents in public secondary schools. Adolescents in SSS 2 class were 2 times more likely (OR= 2.35, 95% CI=1.4 – 3.9) (p<0.05) to report anxiety than adolescents in SSS 1 and SSS 3 classes. Among the mental health problems, depression (χ2 = 6.907, p<.006) and anxiety (χ2 = 8.001, p<.003) were significantly associated with academic stress. Conclusions: The study revealed that a significant association exist between academic stress and mental health problems. It is recommended that a holistic approach be adopted to prevent academic stress. Treatment and counseling should be offered to vulnerable senior secondary school students, through continual appropriate screening and intervention programs in order to prevent mental health problems and improve their quality of life.