Self-reported knowledge, attitude and mental health status of in-school adolescents in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND

The global rise in adolescent mental health conditions highlights the need for preventive interventions particularly in schools for timely access to young people, building on inherent strengths and competencies.

AIM

The study aims to determine the knowledge, attitude, mental health status and the predictors of mental health status of in-school adolescents.

SETTING

The study was conducted in government-owned secondary schools in Lagos State, Nigeria. Simple random sampling was used to select one of three senatorial districts; one junior and one senior secondary school with a nurse-led school clinic were purposively selected from the sampled district.

METHODS

Within a cross-sectional survey design, a self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data from a sample of in-school adolescents aged 10-19 years (n = 148), enrolled in junior and senior classes.

RESULTS

Most in-school adolescents reported poor knowledge (62.2%; n = 92) and poor attitude (54.7%; n = 81) towards mental health; 37.2% (n = 55) reported being substantially at risk of conduct problems. A high proportion (79.7%) indicated normal prosocial behaviours. Level of knowledge (odds ratio [OR] = 3.25; p  0.05; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.34-7.86) as well as third or higher birth order (OR = 3.46; p  0.05; 95% CI = 1.34-8.94) were significant predictors of mental health status.

CONCLUSION

Most in-school adolescents lack knowledge, have a poor attitude towards mental health and are more likely to display conduct problems impacting their mental health status.Contribution: The study provides baseline evidence for designing in-school programmes with a mental wellness focus to promote the mental health of adolescents, leveraging professional and parental networks.