Mood and anxiety disorders among adolescent students in Jordan.

Mental disorders in adolescents have negative impacts on aspects of health and life that can be reduced by early detection and referral. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders and to investigate their association with gender and other socio-demographic factors among adolescent students. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used in this study. A sample of 1103 adolescent students was recruited from schools who completed the first two sections of Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-A). The prevalence of any mental disorders was 28.6%. The prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders was 22.4% and 16.3%, respectively. Significant associations were found between mental disorders and gender, age, living status with parents, or mental health status of parents. Further studies are needed to be conducted in Jordan in order to understand the nature and risk factors of mental disorders among adolescents. School and community-based mental health screening, promotion and prevention programmes are recommended to prevent and reduce the prevalence of mental disorders among adolescents.