The Association of Mental Health with Family Relationships and High-Risk Behaviors in Female Students of South-Eastern Iran

Abstract

Objectives: The current study aimed at examining the association of mental health with family relationships and high-risk behaviors among female students in Iran. Methods: The current cross sectional study was conducted on 457 10th-grade students from four public female high schools in South-Eastern Iran. Information was collected using the General Health questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) of mental health and Self-report questionnair of family relationships and high-risk behaviors with good content validity and reliability (alpha) 0.71. Data were analyzed by linear and binary logistic regression using SPSS version 15. Results: The mean scores of mental health and high-risk behaviors of the subjects were 31.06 +/- 16.44 (of maximum 84), and 18.03 +/- 3.72 (of maximum 78), respectively. The most prevalent problems were associated with social performance scale. Binary logistic regression showed a statistically significant relationship between mental disorders and communication with parents, as well as relationship with opposite gender and sleeping time. A significant correlation was also observed between mental health, family behaviors, relationship with opposite gender, nighttime sleep, being abused by parent, and high-risk behaviors (P < 0.01). Conclusions: The results suggest that parent the education and counseling programs should be designed and implemented to protect adolescents and prevent socio-mental problems and high-risk behaviors in them. Such program should also be used as a basis for healthy growth of students.