Supervisors info:
Γεράσιμος Κολαΐτης, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Ιωάννης Τούντας, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Μαρίνα Οικονόμου, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
The correlation between social and economic inequalities, such as poverty and deprivation with mental health problems is a central point in the bibliography of recent years. However, there is a significant gap in the investigation of the relationship between these phenomena and the consequent psychological problems in adolescent populations. The present study is an attempt to highlight the relationship between the economic crisis and the emotional / behavioral problems of adolescents in Greece. A total of 1581 high school students, 737 boys and 844 girls, aged 13.1 years old, inside and outside Attica participated in the survey. The tools used were: (a) a socio-demographic and economic parameter questionnaire and (b) the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). This is the Greek sample collected in the framework of the Eurasian Child Mental Health Study (EACMHS), an intercultural transnational adolescent study involving 10 Asian and 7 European countries. Multivariate analyzes showed that pessimism for the future (β = -1,38, SE = 0,10, p <0,001), existence of an unemployed parent (β = 0,29, SE = 0,12, p = 0,018) and limited financial resources for having time with friends (β = -0,13, SE = 0,04, p = 0,003) appear to have an impact on the emotional difficulties of adolescents. Additionally, age was found to be related to adolescents' emotional problems (p<0,001) with older teenagers experiencing more emotional difficulties than the younger. The results support the mental burden of Greek adolescents and are discussed on the basis of the limited existing literature, in the light of their theoretical contribution and practical application. The results support the mental burden of adolescents as a result of the economic crisis of the last years and are discussed on the basis of the limited literature until today, in the light of their theoretical contribution and practical application.
Keywords:
Financial difficulties, Peers, Children, Teenagers, Emotional problems