Influence of school factors on emotional disorder risk in Vietnamese middle school students

Abstract

This study examined how school factors such as school violence, academic problems, problems with teachers, and discipline problems influence the risk of emotional disorders in middle school students.Our sample included 1085 middle school students, whose age ranges from 11 to 14, from Hanoi, which is a major city, and Backan, which is a rural area. Measurements included: 1) an emotional disorder scale (EDS) that was developed by the authors and 2) a self-report questionnaire using a Likert scale about relevant school factors, including school violence, academic problems, problems with teachers, and discipline problems. We developed the EDS based on the stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms specified in the DSM-5 and the Conners Emotional Disorder Subscale that included somatic, affective, cognitive, and behavioral symptom manifestations.The results showed that school factors were significantly correlated with emotional disorder risk in middle school students. School violence, academic problems, and problems with teachers could predict 39.6% of emotional disorder risk in middle school students, among which academic problems have the strongest effect and could best predict emotional disorder risk. These results suggest that future research should scrutinize ac-ademic pressure that middle school students face in order to develop emotional disorder prevention programs that help students.School factors, especially academic problems, had a negative influence on students. We suggest that educa-tors should consider reducing the academic challenge and workload for prevention of emotional disorder risk in middle school students. Additionally, it is necessary to develop a curriculum that meets the cognitive and cultural needs of students from rural areas.