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Meta-Analysis
. 2022 Oct 4;12(1):16573.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-19731-2.

Prevalence of mental health problems among rural adolescents in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Eslavath Rajkumar  1 , Grace Jacob Julia #  2 , N V Sri Lakshmi K #  3 , P K Ranjana  3 , Mahesh Manjima  3 , Rajanala Ruchitha Devi  3 , Dubey Rukmini  3 , George Christina  3 , John Romate  3 , Joshua George Allen  4 , John Abraham  5 , Anieta Merin Jacob  6
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Prevalence of mental health problems among rural adolescents in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Eslavath Rajkumar et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Adolescent mental health problems have been recognised as a major issue in low-income countries including India. Through a meta-analytic approach, the present review delineate the overall prevalence of each of the most discussed mental health problems among rural adolescents in India, comprising depression, anxiety disorders, generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, separation anxiety, social anxiety disorder, suicidality, hyperactivity, emotional problems, conduct problems and peer problems. The review also presents the potential determinants of such mental health problems. Using PRISMA guidelines, a total of thirty-five studies were finalized from databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, JSTOR, Web of Science, Google Scholar and ProQuest. From the findings, it is observed that male and female adolescents does not differ significantly in the prevalence of most mental health problems. However, social anxiety was found to be more prevalent among females when compared to males. In meta-regression, factors like tools used (screening tools vs diagnostic interviews), sample size, setting (school-based vs community-based), sampling technique and year of publication were found to influence the prevalence rates of certain mental health problems, reported in the studies. Major determinants influencing the prevalence of mental health problems in rural adolescents were age, socio-economic status, academic and family environment. Individual factors such as social media usage, physical activity, and substance use also contribute to mental health problems. As India accounts for one-fifth of the world's adolescent population, the findings of this review can have global implications.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart detailing the study selection process.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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