Evaluation of Iranian Students’ Mental Health: A Cross-sectional Survey

Abstract

Background: Mental health is a significant problem in developed and developing countries which influences all aspects of life. We aimed to evaluate the status of Iranian students’ mental health. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 2052 elementary school students located in Tehran, Iran, in September 2018. We used the Census sampling method for sampling and the general health questionnaire comprising 28 items. For statistical analysis SPSS software, version 21 was used. Results: A total of 2052 elementary school students (1373 girls and 679 boys) participated in this study. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) ages of the girls and boys were 14.1±1.7 and 13.9±1.1 years, respectively. The mean ± SD of anxiety, social dysfunction, and depression scores were 7.42±4.92, 7.35±3.33, 6.83±2.26 in the girls and 5.65±3.89, 6.30±3.09, 4.61±1.74 in the boys, respectively. The mean ± SD total scores in boys and girls were 20.48±12.31 and 27.90±14.66, respectively. Conclusion: The mental health status of elementary school students was generally low, especially in male students.

Keywords

• general health questionnaire
• student
• mental health