Human ecological systems and mental health of adolescents
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Date
2008
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CCSHAU
Abstract
Mental health is the capacity to work, capacity to love and the capacity to play
for recreation (World Health Organization, 1993). Mental health is how people think,
feel and act as they face life’s situations. It affects how young people handle stress,
relates to other people and make decisions. Eaton and Peterson (1967) described a
mentally healthy adult as “a person who is free of psychiatric disease, has a general
feeling of well being, function at or near his full biological capacity, is competent in
dealing with his environment, and has good ego strength.
The present investigation was conducted to assess the mental health of
adolescents. A comparative analysis was done to know the differences between rural and
urban, male and female adolescents of 12-18 years age group. Haryana state was selected
purposively while Sirsa district was selected purposively. From Sirsa district Dabwali
block was selected randomly, city area of this block was purposively taken for urban
sample while village Goriwala was randomly selected. A sample of 200 adolescents, 100
from rural and 100 from urban schools, was taken. Independent variables considered
were Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem and Chronosystem. Mental
health of adolescents was taken as dependent variables.
In the process of assessment of mental health, Mental Health Battery (2000) by
Arun Kumar Singh and Alpana Sen Gupta was used. A questionnaire was developed
pretested and used to gather data for human ecological factors of respondents.
The findings portrayed that most of the respondents of 15-18 years of age group
were from rural and urban areas. Majority of the respondents belonged to nuclear and
medium sized families. Parents of most of the respondent were educated upto primary or
middle class. The neighbourhood status of most of the respondents was middle class and
their families were having good relationships with their neighbours. Most of the parents
adopted authoritative disciplining technique for their children.
The variable of human ecological environment exerted a powerful influence on
the mental health of the adolescents. Human ecological variables such as education of
father, discipline by parents, family income, caste, general health status, surrounding and
location, relationship with grandparents, visiting to or visiting by family friends and
relatives, occupation of mother, relationship with neighbourhood, interaction with
neighbourhood, membership of club or organization were found to be significantly
associated with mental health components while other factors were not significantly
associated with mental health of young adolescents, but as the human ecological system
work as interconnected networks, so all the factors can be said to be directly and
indirectly associated with all the components of mental health of adolescents.
Differences was found to be significant between rural and urban males
adolescents (12-15 years) for emotional stability, overall adjustment and autonomy
which are the components of mental health, whereas non-significant differences were
observed between rural and urban females (12-15 years) for these component of mental
health. Further significant differences were found between rural and urban males
adolescents (15-18 years) for emotional stability and overall adjustment. Significant
differences were found between rural and urban female adolescents (15-18 years) for
emotional stability, self-concept and intelligence.
Few strategies are suggested to cope with mental health problems viz. population
based intervention programme, training to the parents, school programmes,
establishment of adolescent guidance centre, yoga and spiritual programme, organization
of teens and adolescents discussion.
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