Abstract
This study aims to estimate the prevalence and associated factors of psychological distress (PD) among Indonesian adolescents. The nationally representative data from the Global School-based Students Health Survey conducted in Indonesia in 2015 were used in this study. The sample consists of 8698 school-aged adolescents with a median age of 14. The prevalence of PD was 7.3%, which was higher among female (8.1%) than male (6.2%) students. Factors that independently increase the likelihood of PD include older age, female gender, experience bullying 3 or more days in a month, serious injuries, having suicide ideations or a suicide plan, often or always feeling hungry, not eating fruit in the past 30 days, and engaging in sedentary behavior (p < 0.005). In addition, parental emotional support and having 2 or more close friends were independently protective against PD (p < 0.005). The finding of 7.3% of Indonesian adolescents with PD is relatively lower than the rates reported in other countries, despite using similar tools and databases. Factors that increase the likelihood of adolescent PD should be reduced or avoided, while parental emotional support and having more close friends should be encouraged to possibly decrease distresses.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Afridi, F. (2010). Child welfare programs and child nutrition: Evidence from a mandated school meal program in India. Journal of Development Economics, 92(2), 152–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2009.02.002
Andayani, T. R. (2018). The meaning of friends for Javanese adolescent: A preliminary study in Indonesia. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research (ASSEHR), 127, 220–224. https://doi.org/10.2991/icaaip-17.2018.51
Arvidsdotter, T., Marklund, B., Kylén, S., Taft, C., & Ekman, I. (2016). Understanding persons with psychological distress in primary health care. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 30(4), 687–694. https://doi.org/10.1111/scs.12289
Baldry, A. C., Sorrentino, A., & Farrington, D. P. (2018). Post-traumatic stress symptoms among Italian preadolescents involved in school and cyber bullying and victimization. Journal of Child and Family Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1122-4
Bhui, K., Silva, M. J., Harding, S., & Stansfeld, S. (2017). Bullying, social support, and psychological distress: Findings from RELACHS cohorts of East London’s White British and Bangladeshi adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 61(3), 317–328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.03.009
Bronsard, G., Alessandrini, M., Fond, G., Loundou, A., Auquier, P., Tordjman, S., & Boyer, L. (2016). The prevalence of mental disorders among children and adolescents in the child welfare system. Medicine, 95(7), e2622. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000002622
Byrne, D. G., Davenport, S. C., & Mazanov, J. (2007). Profiles of adolescent stress: The development of the adolescent stress questionnaire (ASQ). Journal of Adolescence, 30(3), 393–416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2006.04.004
Choi, K. R., & Easterlin, M. C. (2018). Intervention models for increasing access to behavioral health services among youth: A systematic review. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 39(9), 754–762. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.06.020
Dhamayanti, M., Noviandhari, A., Masdiani, N., Pandia, V., & Sekarwana, N. (2020). The association of depression with child abuse among Indonesian adolescents. BMC Pediatrics, 20(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-020-02218-2
Elkington, K. S., Bauermeister, J. A., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2010). Psychological distress, substance use, and HIV/STI risk behaviors among youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39(5), 514–527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9524-7
Hinton, P. R., McMurray, I., & Brownlow, C. (2014). SPSS explained (2nd ed.). Taylor & Francis.
Jackson, J., & Cochran, S. D. (1991). Loneliness and psychological distress. The Journal of Psychology, 125(3), 257–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1991.10543289
Jaisoorya, T. S., Rani, A., Menon, P. G., Jeevan, C. R., Revamma, M., Jose, V., Radhakrishnan, K. S., Kishore, A., Thennarasu, K., & Sivasankaran Nair, B. (2017). Psychological distress among college students in Kerala, India—Prevalence and correlates. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 28(2017), 28–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2017.03.026
Khamis, V. (2016). Coping with war trauma. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol. 85, N(August), 72–79.
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2003). The Patient Health Questionnaire-2: Validity of a two-item depression screener. Medical Care, 41(11), 1284–1292. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.MLR.0000093487.78664.3C
Lee, H., Lee, E. Y., Greene, B., & Shin, Y. (2019). Psychological distress among adolescents in Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Asian Nursing Research, 13(2), 147–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anr.2019.04.001
Lie, H., & Liou, J. (2012). Suicide behavior among junior high school students in Philippines and Indonesia associated with the social factors. GSTF Journal of BioSciences, 2(1), 92–97. https://doi.org/10.5176/2251-3140_2.1.28
Marsh, I. C., Chan, S. W. Y., & MacBeth, A. (2018). Self-compassion and psychological distress in adolescents—A meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 9(4), 1011–1027. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0850-7
Marthoenis, M., Ilyas, A., Sofyan, H., & Schouler-Ocak, M. (2019). Prevalence, comorbidity and predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety in adolescents following an earthquake. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 43(February), 154–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2019.05.030
McMullen, J. D., O’Callaghan, P. S., Richards, J. A., Eakin, J. G., & Rafferty, H. (2012). Screening for traumatic exposure and psychological distress among war-affected adolescents in post-conflict northern Uganda. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 47(9), 1489–1498. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0454-9
Moore, S. E., Norman, R. E., Suetani, S., Thomas, H. J., Sly, P. D., & Scott, J. G. (2017). Consequences of bullying victimization in childhood and adolescence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. World Journal of Psychiatry, 7(1), 60. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v7.i1.60
Myklestad, I., Røysamb, E., & Tambs, K. (2012). Risk and protective factors for psychological distress among adolescents: A family study in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 47(5), 771–782. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-011-0380-x
Okwaraji, F. E., Obiechina, K. I., Onyebueke, G. C., Udegbunam, O. N., & Nnadum, G. S. (2018). Loneliness, life satisfaction and psychological distress among out-of-school adolescents in a Nigerian urban city. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 23(9), 1106–1112. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2018.1476726
Page, R. M., West, J. H., & Hall, P. C. (2011). Psychosocial distress and suicide ideation in Chinese and Philippine adolescents. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 23(5), 774–791. https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539509353113
Peltzer, K., & Pengpid, S. (2018). High prevalence of depressive symptoms in a national sample of adults in Indonesia: Childhood adversity, sociodemographic factors and health risk behaviour. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 33(December 2017), 52–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2018.03.017
Pengpid, S., & Peltzer, K. (2020a). High psychological distress among school-going adolescents in Afghanistan: Prevalence and correlates from a national survey. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 15(1), 40–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2019.1679937
Pengpid, S., & Peltzer, K. (2020b). Prevalence and associated factors of psychological distress among a national sample of in-school adolescents in Morocco. BMC Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02888-3
Pengpid, S., & Peltzer, K. (2020c). Psychological distress and its associated factors among school-going adolescents in Tanzania. Psychological Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-020-00550-2
Pengpid, S., & Peltzer, K. (2021). Prevalence and correlates of psychological distress (using a 2-item screener) among national samples of in-school adolescents in four Caribbean countries. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2021.1896825
Plummer, F., Manea, L., Trepel, D., & McMillan, D. (2016). Screening for anxiety disorders with the GAD-7 and GAD-2: A systematic review and diagnostic metaanalysis. General Hospital Psychiatry, 39, 24–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2015.11.005
Polanczyk, G. V., Salum, G. A., Sugaya, L. S., Caye, A., & Rohde, L. A. (2015). Annual research review: A meta-analysis of the worldwide prevalence of mental disorders in children and adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 56(3), 345–365. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12381
Putra, I. G. N. E., Karin, P. A. E. S., & Ariastuti, N. L. P. (2019). Suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among Indonesian adolescent students. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2019-0035
Qin, Z., Shi, L., Xue, Y., Lin, H., Zhang, J., Liang, P., Lu, Z., Wu, M., Chen, Y., Zheng, X., Qian, Y., Ouyang, P., Zhang, R., Yi, X., & Zhang, C. (2021). Prevalence and risk factors associated with self-reported psychological distress among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. JAMA Network Open, 4(1), e2035487. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.35487
Reuter, A., Vollmer, S., Aiyub, A., Susanti, S. S., & Marthoenis, M. (2020). Mental distress and its association with sociodemographic and economic characteristics: Community-based household survey in Aceh, Indonesia. Bjpsych Open, 6(6), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2020.108
Richardson, L. P., Rockhill, C., Russo, J. E., Grossman, D. C., Richards, J., McCarty, C., McCauley, E., & Katon, W. (2010). Evaluation of the PHQ-2 as a brief screen for detecting major depression among adolescents. Pediatrics, 125(5), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-2712
Scott, J. G., Moore, S. E., Sly, P. D., & Norman, R. E. (2014). Bullying in children and adolescents: A modifiable risk factor for mental illness. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 48(3), 209–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867413508456
Seidu, A. A., Ahinkorah, B. O., Dadzie, L. K., Ameyaw, E. K., & Budu, E. (2020). Analysis of risk and protective factors for psychosocial distress among in-school adolescents in Tanzania. Journal of Public Health (Germany). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-019-01185-y
Shayo, F. K., & Lawala, P. S. (2019). Does bullying predict suicidal behaviors among in-school adolescents? A cross-sectional finding from Tanzania as an example of a low-income country. BMC Psychiatry, 19(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-019-2402-2
Shiferaw, S., Fantahun, M., & Bekele, A. (2006). Psychosocial problems among students in preparatory school, in Dessie town, north east Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Health Development, 20(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.4314/ejhd.v20i1.10011
Silva, S. A., Silva, S. U., Ronca, D. B., Gonçalves, V. S. S., Dutra, E. S., & Carvalho, K. M. B. (2020). Common mental disorders prevalence in adolescents: A systematic review and metaanalyses. PLoS ONE, 15(4), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232007
Singh, P. K., & Shukla, R. P. (2015). Relationship between career maturity and self-efficacy among male and female senior secondary students. MIER Journal of Educational Studies Trends & Practices, 5(2), 164–179.
Siziya, S., & Mazaba, M. L. (2015). Prevalence and correlates for psychosocial distress among in-school adolescents in Zambia. Frontiers in Public Health, 3(July), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2015.00180
StataCorp. (2013). Stata statistical software: Release 13. StataCorp LP.
Strine, T. W., Dube, S. R., Edwards, V. J., Prehn, A. W., Rasmussen, S., Wagenfeld, M., Dhingra, S., & Croft, J. B. (2012). Associations between adverse childhood experiences, psychological distress, and adult alcohol problems. American Journal of Health Behavior, 36(3), 408–423. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.36.3.11
Sulimani-Aidan, Y. (2018). Promoting resilience among adolescents in care from their social workers’ perspectives. Children and Youth Services Review, 94(June), 43–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.09.005
Tian, S., Zhang, T., Chen, X., & Pan, C.-W. (2021a). Substance use and psychological distress among school-going adolescents in 41 low-income and middle-income countries. Journal of Affective Disorders, 291(May), 254–260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.05.024
Tian, S., Zhang, T. Y., Miao, Y. M., & Pan, C. W. (2021b). Psychological distress and parental involvement among adolescents in 67 low-income and middle-income countries: A population-based study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 282(October 2020), 1101–1109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.01.010
Uddin, R., Burton, N. W., Maple, M., Khan, S. R., & Khan, A. (2019). Suicidal ideation, suicide planning, and suicide attempts among adolescents in 59 low-income and middle-income countries: A population-based study. The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, 3(4), 223–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(18)30403-6
Wang, J. L., Hsieh, H. F., Assari, S., Gaskin, J., & Rost, D. H. (2018). The protective effects of social support and engagement coping strategy on the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological distress among Chinese migrant children. Youth and Society, 50(5), 593–614. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X15619804
Widyasari, D. C., & Yuniardi, M. S. (2019). The prevalence of psychological distress among adolescents: An initial study of adolescents’ mental health in Malang, Indonesia. Proceedings of the 4th ASEAN Conference on Psychology, Counselling, and Humanities (ACPCH 2018), January. https://doi.org/10.2991/acpch-18.2019.92
World Health Organization (WHO). (2015). Global school-based student health survey Indonesia - 2015 Fact Sheet. https://www.who.int/ncds/surveillance/gshs/2015_Indonesia_GSHS_Fact_Sheet.pdf
World Health Organization (WHO). (2016). Global school-based student health survey. NCD Microdata Repository. https://extranet.who.int/ncdsmicrodata/index.php/catalog/GSHS
Zhang, X., Ra, C. K., Zhang, D., Zhang, Y., & MacLeod, K. E. (2016). The impact of school social support and bullying victimization on psychological distress among California adolescents. Californian Journal of Health Promotion, 14(2), 56–67.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
We have no known conflict of interest to declare.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Marthoenis, M., Schouler-Ocak, M. Investigating the Prevalence of Psychological Distress and Its Associated Factors Among Indonesian Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 40, 857–866 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-022-00818-8
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-022-00818-8