A STUDY ON PREVALENCE OF ANXIETY DISORDERS AMONG HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

Anxiety disorders are very common in secondary school children with little epidemiological data from countries like India. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety disorders in higher secondary school students using Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) questionnaire. Methodology: The study was conducted in July 2014 and 100 students belonging to class 11 and class 12 of a higher secondary school at Tiptur were included in the study. The SCARED questionnaires were used to assess anxiety in these children. Results: In this study, 37\% were found to have anxiety disorder (p value < 0.001). Of these majority (58\%) were females which was significant. Of the 100 children, 64\% had PN (panic disorder), 10\% had GD (generalized anxiety disorder), 53\% had SP (separation anxiety), 15\% had SC (social anxiety disorder) and 16\% had SH (significant school avoidance). Hence in this study, panic disorder and separation anxiety were found to be highly prevalent. In this study of the children who had anxiety, majority of these children's mothers (79\%) and majority of the children's fathers were illiterate (54\%). In this study, of the children with anxiety, 76\% belonged to nuclear family and majority i.e. 84\% belonged to rural area. Conclusion: This study shows the high prevalence of undiagnosed depression and anxiety disorders among adolescents and hence the need for them. Early interventions can provide long-term health and socioeconomic benefits by prevention of the onset of mental health problems and their development into chronic disorders.