Abstract:

Objective To understand the current mental health status of adolescents in Yan'an City, and to analyze its influencing factors, so as to provide a basis for psychological intervention and health education among adolescents. Methods Adolescents aged 12 to 18 years at selected schools in Yan'an City from January to June 2025 were surveyed by the Mental Health Diagnostic Test Scale(MHT). Basic demographic characteristics of the participants were also collected. A multivariate logistic regression model was employed to analyze the high-risk factors affecting the mental health of these adolescents. Results A total of 4, 925 students were included in this study. Assessed by the MHT, the overall detection rate of the abnormal group (total score ≥65 points) and the abnormal tendency group (56-64 points) was 30.2%. Social anxiety was the most pronounced mental issue in adolescents (9.6%), followed by self-blame tendency (9.5%), fear tendency (9.2%), somatic symptoms (8.8%), learning anxiety (7.1%), impulsivity tendency (6.3%), allergy tendency (5.2%), and loneliness tendency (3.8%). Gender, educational level, boarding status, family education style, history of chronic diseases or disabilities, family history of mental and psychological disorders, average academic performance, learning attitude, behavioral habits, personality, the main caregiver during growth, parents' marital status, mother's educational level, and the average annual income of the family had significant impacts on mental health of adolescents (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that female gender, junior or senior high school education, boarding status, neglectful or authoritative family education, history of chronic disease or disability, family history of mental illness, passive, mechanical or weariness learning attitude, poor or average behavioral habits, and neutral personality were important risk factors for mental health of adolescents. Conclusion Learning weariness, female gender, mechanical learning attitude, neglectful family education, and boarding status (ranked by odds ratio from high to low) are the main common risk factors in both the abnormal group and the abnormal tendency group of mental health in adolescents. This study identified the key risk factors for mental health among adolescents in Yan'an City, providing evidence-based support for the formulation of targeted intervention strategies with important public health and clinical value.

Key words: adolescents, mental health, MHT questionnaire, questionnaire survey