Antia Khatia, Račaitė Justina, Šurkienė Genė, Winkler Volker
Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
School of Health Sciences, The University of Georgia, 77a Kostava Street, Tbilisi, 0175, Georgia.
Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2023 Mar 30;17(1):44. doi: 10.1186/s13034-023-00592-0.
Adolescents, particularly girls, are vulnerable to mental health disorders. Knowledge about young people's mental health in Eastern European countries is limited. This study is the first to investigate adolescents' self-reported emotional and behavioural problems in Georgia from a public mental health perspective.
This study utilized Achenbach's Youth Self-Reported syndrome scales among 933 adolescents studying from grades 7-12 in 18 public schools in Georgia. We compared the gender-specific results with each other and with the Achenbach's Normative Sample using two-sample t-tests. Linear regression was used to assess associations between internalizing and externalizing problems and individual as well as demographic characteristics such as parental migration experience (being 'left-behind' or 'staying behind').
The study found that girls obtained higher scores than boys in Youth Self-Reported empirical syndrome scales and the internalizing broadband scale. Rule-breaking behaviour was the only syndrome scale where boys scored higher. Compared to Achenbach's Normative Sample, adolescents in Georgia scored higher on all scales. Regression analyses showed that illnesses, having fewer than three close friends, problems at school, and worse relationships with peers/siblings/parents (compared to peers) were associated with higher internalizing and externalizing problems scores in both genders. Performing household chores, living with only one parent, or having a migrant parent showed no associations in either gender.
Emotional and behavioural difficulties of adolescents in Georgia, especially girls, require attention. Having close friends, developing strong relationships with family members, and a supportive school environment could help mitigate emotional and behavioural problems among adolescents in Georgia.
青少年，尤其是女孩，易患心理健康障碍。东欧国家关于年轻人心理健康的知识有限。本研究首次从公共心理健康角度调查格鲁吉亚青少年自我报告的情绪和行为问题。
本研究在格鲁吉亚18所公立学校7至12年级的933名青少年中使用了阿肯巴克青少年自我报告综合征量表。我们使用双样本t检验将性别特异性结果相互比较，并与阿肯巴克常模样本进行比较。线性回归用于评估内化和外化问题与个体以及人口统计学特征（如父母迁移经历，即“留守”或“非留守”）之间的关联。
研究发现，在青少年自我报告实证综合征量表和内化宽带量表中，女孩得分高于男孩。违规行为是男孩得分较高的唯一综合征量表。与阿肯巴克常模样本相比，格鲁吉亚青少年在所有量表上得分更高。回归分析表明，患病、亲密朋友少于三个、在学校遇到问题以及与同龄人/兄弟姐妹/父母关系较差（与同龄人相比）与两性较高的内化和外化问题得分相关。做家务、仅与一位家长生活或有移民家长在两性中均未显示出关联。
格鲁吉亚青少年，尤其是女孩的情绪和行为困难需要关注。拥有亲密朋友、与家庭成员建立牢固关系以及支持性的学校环境有助于减轻格鲁吉亚青少年的情绪和行为问题。
