A comparative study of anxiety and depression among adolescents from rural and urban areas

Abstract

Introduction: Depression and anxiety are commonly reported issues among adolescents populations. These will affect student’s interpersonal skills and can impede their ability in their performance due to drop in the neurotransmitter levels. This is leading to suicide and negative thoughts. Materials and methods: The study is about comparative study of anxiety and depression among adolescents from rural and urban areas in and around Visakhapatnam. A total number of 368 adolescents were selected from high schools and colleges in both rural and urban area of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. Results: Anxiety prevails more in urban pupils, 35.41 percent of boys are having anxiety, where as in case of girls it is 29.41 percent. There is no significant (p>0.05) association between depression score and type of population (urban/ rural). In respect of depression among adolescents, there is no relation between the type of population and depression. Conclusion: This study shows that anxiety and depression are more in urban areas than in rural areas. Anxiety and depression are more prevalent in boys than in girls. Treatment is possible by providing help from trained experts.

Keywords

• anxiety
• depression
• adolescents