Objective: By exploring the mental health situation of the unattended adolescents in Anhui province. This study aimed at investigating the status of mental health and related influential factors to provide evidence for effective strategies and intervention in physical and mental health improvement of this population.
Methods: By using stratified cluster sampling method, we conducted an investigation on 3421 subjects, in which 682 were unattended adolescents, from 7 middle schools in both south and north parts of Anhui province. MHT was used to assess the general condition and status of mental health in the adolescents.
Results: In the population aged 10 to 18 in Anhui province, 19.94% of them were unattended adolescents and were found with poor mental health and more prone to loneliness, sensitive and stronger fear as compared with those with parents around, which showed statistical difference (P < 0.05). As for the mental health status of unattended adolescents in different family types, the subjects seemed worse in the north than in the south Anhui regarding the total scores of MHT, self-accusation, physical symptoms and phobic anxiety disorder (P < 0.05). Girl students were also inferior to boys concerning the total scores of MHT, learning anxiety, interpersonal anxiety, self-accusation, sensitivity, physical symptoms and impulsive behavior (P < 0.05). The students in Grade 7 scored lower than those of the upperclassmen on MHT (P < 0.05), and the subjects from township were superior to those of rural areas regarding interpersonal anxiety and loneliness (P < 0.05). Children with siblings appeared worse than their counterparts on the total scores of MHT, including the items of interpersonal anxiety, learning anxiety, self-accusation, sensitivity, physical symptoms, strong fear and impulsive behavior (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Generally, the mental health status of unattended adolescents in Anhui province appeared poorer than their counterparts, and relatively worse psychological status was seen in girls, high school students, children with siblings and subjects living in north Anhui or rural areas.