The Factors Influencing High School Student’s Mental Health: An Exploratory Research in Hanoi

Abstract

An exploratory research is conducted to examine the current situation and factors related to the mental health of students. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 295 students at a high school in Hanoi in 2023. This research, which employed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire 25 items toolkit with a cut-off point of 15, revealed that a significant percentage of students have general mental health problems. Emotional symptoms account for the largest percentage of students, followed by prosocial behaviour, peer problems, conduct problems, and hyperactivity. The likelihood of mental health issues among students is increased by certain personal variables, such as low self-esteem or disappointment about grades, concern or depreciation about physical appearances, refraining from participating in clubs, teams, or groups, not exercising or playing sports, and having the habit of staying up late. A few school-related factors that are associated with children's mental health problems include peer pressure, public punishments, and teachers’ reprimands.