Exploring mental health challenges and violence risks in high school population

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical period marked by significant physical, emotional, and social changes. Concerns for adolescence mental health is an emerging global issue. Second to home, students spend a lot of time in school and amongst peers thus it is important to maintain a school environment conducive to optimal mental and physical health. The study aims to explore mental health concerns and their relationship with physical and cyber violence amongst high-school students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study using convenience sampling was conducted between April and October 2023 across five international schools in Jeddah. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire adapted from the WHO Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS), focusing on the mental health and violence modules. Descriptive statistics were reported, and Chi-square (χ²) tests were used to assess associations between variables. A total of 538 responses, 252 males and 286 female students participated in the study. Male students were significantly more associated with violence-related factors such as bullying whereas female students were more prone to loneliness (p < 0.001) and suicide attempts (p = 0.0016). Moreover, Saudi students were found to be more associated with cyberbullying and in-school bullying (p < 0.001). In conclusion, our analysis of mental challenges and violence risks highlights the need to foster a safer and healthier environment for high-school students. Counselling and surveillance for alarming behaviours with stronger mental health initiatives and policies are suggested to create a more robust school support system.