Statistical Analysis of a Large-Scale Mental Health Survey Among Adolescents in Zigong, a Less-Developed City in China

Objective

To investigate and report the psychosocial health status from a survey of adolescent populations in Zigong City, Sichuan Province, China, and analyze the overall condition of adolescent mental health in economically less-developed prefecture-level urban areas of China.

Methods

A survey on the mental health status of 95,455 adolescents in Zigong was conducted using eight scales: the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for Students, the Pre-psychosis Questionnaire, the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, the Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale Short Form, and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. The survey assessed mental health across eight dimensions: emotional and behavioral problems, prodromal psychosis risk, depression, anxiety, stress reactions, sleep quality, internet addiction, and positive mental health. The statistical significance of the results was validated using the Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney U test, and Chi-square test.

Results

Overall, 76.14% of adolescents in Zigong exhibited normal psychosocial health status, indicating no immediate cause for concern. Approximately 5.58% of students were identified as being in a state of extremely high-risk psychosocial alertness, necessitating prompt intervention measures. Among all educational stages, middle-school students displayed the most severe psychosocial health issues, with approximately 8.39% classified as being in an extremely high-risk psychosocial alertness state. Furthermore, female adolescents exhibited more pronounced mental health issues compared with their male counterparts.

Conclusions

The prominence of psychological issues among Chinese adolescents in less-developed cities underscores the urgent need for normalized and systematic intervention measures. Particular attention should be directed toward implementing targeted interventions for middle-school students and female students to address their psychosocial well-being.