{"title":"Loneliness among in-school adolescents in Ghana: evidence from the 2012 Global School-based Student Health Survey.","authors":"Abdul-Aziz Seidu","doi":"10.2989/17280583.2020.1811287","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Objective:</i> This study sought to assess the prevalence and correlates of loneliness among in-school adolescents in Ghana using data obtained from the 2012 Global School-based Health Survey conducted in Ghana. <i>Results:</i> A total of 1 266 in-school adolescents participated in the study. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to examine the prevalence and correlates of loneliness. The prevalence of loneliness was 18.4%. Adolescents who felt hungry in-school (AOR = 0.43), those who used tobacco (AOR = 2.31), those who used alcohol (AOR = 1.71), those who felt anxious (AOR = 2.44), those who were bullied (AOR = 1.55), and those who sustained an injury (AOR = 1.33) were more likely to feel lonely than those who did not go hungry in-school, those who did not feel anxious, those who did not use alcohol, and those who did not experience bullying. Adolescents in Senior High School 4, those who were connected (AOR = 0.33), and bonded (AOR = 0.21) to their parents had lower odds of being lonely compared to those in Senior High School 1, those not connected, and those not bonded to their parents. <i>Conclusion:</i> There is a need for loneliness prevention programs targeting improvement in parental support skills, helping adolescents develop friendship skills, counselling uptake, and prevent bullying victimisation in senior high schools in Ghana.</p>","PeriodicalId":45290,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health","volume":"32 2-3","pages":"67-76"},"PeriodicalIF":0.3000,"publicationDate":"2020-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2989/17280583.2020.1811287","citationCount":"7","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2989/17280583.2020.1811287","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2020/11/18 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 7
Abstract
Objective: This study sought to assess the prevalence and correlates of loneliness among in-school adolescents in Ghana using data obtained from the 2012 Global School-based Health Survey conducted in Ghana. Results: A total of 1 266 in-school adolescents participated in the study. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to examine the prevalence and correlates of loneliness. The prevalence of loneliness was 18.4%. Adolescents who felt hungry in-school (AOR = 0.43), those who used tobacco (AOR = 2.31), those who used alcohol (AOR = 1.71), those who felt anxious (AOR = 2.44), those who were bullied (AOR = 1.55), and those who sustained an injury (AOR = 1.33) were more likely to feel lonely than those who did not go hungry in-school, those who did not feel anxious, those who did not use alcohol, and those who did not experience bullying. Adolescents in Senior High School 4, those who were connected (AOR = 0.33), and bonded (AOR = 0.21) to their parents had lower odds of being lonely compared to those in Senior High School 1, those not connected, and those not bonded to their parents. Conclusion: There is a need for loneliness prevention programs targeting improvement in parental support skills, helping adolescents develop friendship skills, counselling uptake, and prevent bullying victimisation in senior high schools in Ghana.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health publishes papers that contribute to improving the mental health of children and adolescents, especially those in Africa. Papers from all disciplines are welcome. It covers subjects such as epidemiology, mental health prevention and promotion, psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, policy and risk behaviour. The journal contains review articles, original research (including brief reports), clinical papers in a "Clinical perspectives" section and book reviews. The Journal is published in association with the South African Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (SAACAPAP).