Mental health in adolescents: a first study on the prevalence and associated factors of self-injurious thoughts, behaviours, and psychosocial challenges in Paraguay.
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| Title: | Mental health in adolescents: a first study on the prevalence and associated factors of self-injurious thoughts, behaviours, and psychosocial challenges in Paraguay. |
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| Authors: | Torales, Julio (AUTHOR), Almirón-Santacruz, José (AUTHOR), Torres-Romero, Anthon Daniel (AUTHOR), O'Higgins, Marcelo (AUTHOR), Caycho-Rodríguez, Tomás (AUTHOR), Ventriglio, Antonio (AUTHOR), Castaldelli-Maia, João Mauricio (AUTHOR), Tribe, Rachel (AUTHOR), Mahon, Audrey Mc (AUTHOR), Bhugra, Dinesh (AUTHOR), Barrios, Iván (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | International Review of Psychiatry. Sep-Nov2025, Vol. 37 Issue 6/7, p604-615. 12p. |
| Subjects: | Competency assessment (Law), Self-injurious behavior, Risk assessment, Cross-sectional method, High schools, Pearson correlation (Statistics), Suicidal ideation, Sex crimes, At-risk people, Scientific observation, Statistical sampling, Psychology of high school students, Sample size (Statistics), Questionnaires, Sex distribution, Food security, Logistic regression analysis, Anxiety, Disease prevalence, Loneliness, Mann Whitney U Test, Chi-squared test, Multivariate analysis, Descriptive statistics, Emotional trauma, Odds ratio, Research, Bullying, Medical needs assessment, Interpersonal relations, Psychological tests, Confidence intervals, Data analysis software, Mental depression, Sensitivity & specificity (Statistics), Psychosocial factors, Adolescence |
| Geographic Terms: | Paraguay |
| Abstract: | Adolescent mental health remains an underexplored area in Paraguay despite its significant implications for public health. This study investigated the prevalence of self-injurious thoughts and behaviours as well as the associated psychosocial and demographic factors among Paraguayan adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 535 adolescents aged 12–18 years from Asunción and the Central Department, using validated instruments, including the PHQ-2 for depression, GAD-7 for anxiety, APCTSS for post-traumatic stress, and SDQ for emotional and behavioural issues. The findings revealed alarmingly high prevalence rates of anxiety (40.6%), depression (50.3%), and PTSD (64.5%), with females being disproportionately affected. Non-suicidal self-injury was reported by 30.5% of participants, with significantly higher rates among females. Factors such as bullying, loneliness, and food insecurity were strongly associated with self-harm and suicidal ideation. Logistic regression analysis identified female sex, depression, anxiety, and experiences of bullying as key predictors of self-injurious behaviours. These results highlight the urgent need for school-based mental health interventions, gender-sensitive policies, and trauma-informed care to mitigate the burden of adolescent mental-health disorders in Paraguay. Future studies should explore longitudinal trends and targeted prevention strategies to address this pressing public health concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Adolescent mental health remains an underexplored area in Paraguay despite its significant implications for public health. This study investigated the prevalence of self-injurious thoughts and behaviours as well as the associated psychosocial and demographic factors among Paraguayan adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 535 adolescents aged 12–18 years from Asunción and the Central Department, using validated instruments, including the PHQ-2 for depression, GAD-7 for anxiety, APCTSS for post-traumatic stress, and SDQ for emotional and behavioural issues. The findings revealed alarmingly high prevalence rates of anxiety (40.6%), depression (50.3%), and PTSD (64.5%), with females being disproportionately affected. Non-suicidal self-injury was reported by 30.5% of participants, with significantly higher rates among females. Factors such as bullying, loneliness, and food insecurity were strongly associated with self-harm and suicidal ideation. Logistic regression analysis identified female sex, depression, anxiety, and experiences of bullying as key predictors of self-injurious behaviours. These results highlight the urgent need for school-based mental health interventions, gender-sensitive policies, and trauma-informed care to mitigate the burden of adolescent mental-health disorders in Paraguay. Future studies should explore longitudinal trends and targeted prevention strategies to address this pressing public health concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 09540261 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/09540261.2025.2488766 |
