Topic: Factors Associated with Psychosocial Dysfunctions Among In-School Adolescents in Osun State, Nigeria

Topic: Factors Associated with Psychosocial Dysfunctions Among In-School Adolescents in Osun State, Nigeria | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Topic: Factors Associated with Psychosocial Dysfunctions Among In-School Adolescents in Osun State, Nigeria Akinlolu Gabriel Omisore, Toluwaleke Pat Ajiki, Ifedola Olabisi Faramade, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6448199/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Adolescents commonly experience psychosocial problems which are further heightened by hostile home and school environments. This study was conducted to examine the factors associated with psychosocial dysfunction among high school adolescents in Osun state. Method A descriptive cross-sectional study design involving 494 respondents drawn from eight high schools via a multistage sampling technique. Data was collected via a pre-tested facilitated self-administered questionnaire with which psychosocial status was determined using the Paediatric symptoms checklist. Data analysis was achieved through IBM SPSS version 20.0 and pertinent univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were done with a p-value < 0.05 taken as statistically significant. Results A tenth (10.7%) of the respondents had dysfunctional psychosocial status. Age, religion family factors (family type, parental educational status) as well as several school factors, including those pertaining to psychosocial conditions at school were all significantly associated with psychosocial status. School type, “promotion of the rights of boys and girls through equal opportunities at schools” and “feeling on arrival to school on most days” were associated with psychosocial functioning with respondents in public schools nine times less likely to have a dysfunctional psychosocial status (AOR = 0.106). Conclusion A tenth of the adolescents had dysfunctional psychosocial status. School-related factors appear to be more significantly associated with psychosocial functioning than personal and home factors. Measures to improve the psychosocial conditions at school should be put in place by concerned stakeholders. Adolescents Dysfunctional Factors Functional/ Functioning Psychosocial School Figures Figure 1 Introduction The United Nations regards those from age 10–19 as adolescents and this group accounts for about 1.2 billion globally [ 1 ]. A large number of these adolescents live in developing countries such as Nigeria whose population is majorly youthful with adolescents constituting about 22.5% of their population[ 2 ]. Psychosocial status encompasses an individual’s social and psychosocial well-being including emotional state, social relationship and general mental health. It considers how factors such as stress, anxiety and depression interact with social factors like social networks, community and family support [ 3 ]. Psychosocial problems mostly occur among children and adolescents [ 4 ] and about 10% of the world's adolescents are reported to be suffering from psychosocial dysfunctions [ 5 ]. It is also projected that 20% of adolescents globally will experience a mental disorder every year (UNICEF, 2019). Mental and behavioural problems among adolescents in African countries are often treated with levity despite their high prevalence with very few getting the required management [ 6 ]. This probably is a result of the misinterpretation that alterations observed in adolescence are secondary to puberty and the development of the body [ 7 ]. Psychosocial problems among in-school students have been noted to affect their academic performance and general well-being [ 8 ]. Evidence from previous studies showed a high prevalence of psychosocial health dysfunction among adolescents in different parts of the world. For instance, Banstola (2017) reported that 21.7% of adolescents had psychosocial problems [ 9 ]. Another study by Bista et al (2016), found a prevalence of 17.03% of psychosocial disorder among school adolescents in Nepal [ 5 ]. Muppidathi et al. (2017) found a prevalence of 18.0% among Indian children while Timalsina et al. (2018) found a prevalence of 12.9% [ 4 , 6 ]. Adolescents face numerous challenges as they transition from childhood immaturity towards adult maturity [ 10 ]. These challenges increase adolescents’ susceptibility to psychosocial problems that can manifest in different domains of life including physical, social, cognitive, and mental domains [ 11 ]. Adolescents who suffer from psychosocial dysfunction may be adversely affected and find it difficult to lead a purposeful life in adulthood [ 12 , 13 ]. Adolescents exist, learn, and grow within an environment that influences their psychosocial development [ 9 ]. Personal, family, and school factors among other factors have been associated with adolescent psychosocial adaptation and behaviour, adolescents facing familial stressors such as parental abuse or conflict are more likely to develop psychosocial problems [ 9 ]. In-school adolescents spend most of their productive and/or interactive time in school, an environment that may sometimes be hostile and unsupportive to the psychosocial development of adolescents[ 5 , 14 ], as social isolation of insufficient peer support may lead to feelings of loneliness and depression [ 15 ]. It has been documented that symptoms of mental illness manifest as early as age 14 in about one out of two people with the conditions in adulthood [ 16 ]. To benefit maximally from school, adolescents’ mental well-being must be intact as any impairment may have a detrimental effect on their psychosocial status and outcomes [ 10 ]. Early onset of mental disorders leads to an interruption of education and occupational development of affected adolescents [ 16 ]. Inadequate attention to psychological issues at this crucial stage may lead to unfavourable consequences that may persist into adult life [ 5 ]. The lack of early recognition and prompt treatment can be detrimental to the adolescent’s daily life, the family, and the society at large [ 17 ]. Although the psychosocial functioning of adolescents has been well researched and reported all over the world, not many studies have been done in Nigeria, especially those concerned with determinants at the individual, family, and school levels. This study aimed to determine the psychosocial health status of in-school adolescents and the personal, family and school factors associated with it. Materials and Methods The study involved 494 respondents drawn from eight secondary schools drawn from four out of the 30 local government areas (LGAs) in Osun State, South-western, Nigeria. It was a cross-sectional descriptive study and participants were in-school adolescents selected by a multi-stage sampling technique across senatorial districts, LGAs, towns, and types of schools. The study recruited in-school adolescents aged 10–18 years. Data were collected using a pre-tested, facilitated self-administered questionnaire. A total of 494 participants completed the questionnaire, out of more than 500 distributed. The age of 18 was the maximal recommended age for filling the psychosocial status-determining instrument. Pertinent information was collected on socio-demographic variables, psychosocial functioning status of respondents, and psychosocial conditions at home and/or school. The main outcome variable was psychosocial functioning status and it was measured by a previously validated 35-item questionnaire adopted from the “Youth (self) report of the “Paediatric symptoms checklist” [ 18 ]. This self-rating instrument consists of 35 items that have responses as “ Never,” “Sometimes,” or “Often” and scored 0, 1, and 2, respectively. The total score is calculated by summing together the score obtained by each respondent for each of the 35 items, thus grossing a maximum total of 70 and a minimum of 0. This was further categorized as 0–30 as having a functional psychosocial status and 31–70 as having a dysfunctional psychosocial status. Previous users of the “Paediatric symptoms checklist” have identified three main categories out of the 35 questions- Attention, Internalizing and Externalizing Problems, Internalizing problems suggestive of depression or anxiety with symptoms such as feeling hopeless, seemingly having less fun in life, feeling unhappy or sad, worrying a lot, and down on/ with oneself [ 18 , 19 ]. Attention problems include getting distracted easily; acting as if one is driven by a motor/ uncontrollable force; daydreaming too much; being fidgety, unable to sit still; and having trouble concentrating. Externalizing problems are suggestive of conduct or defiant disorders and the questions in this category include not listening to rules, refusing or failing to share, fighting with other children, teasing others, not understanding other people’s feelings, and taking things that do not belong to one. The mean scores for all three categories were calculated and taken into consideration. Some other questions relating to psychosocial conditions (social interactions with school teachers and mates as well as provision of an enabling social environment) within the school were asked and the researchers documented herewith those that showed statistical significance with the psychosocial status. Reliability analysis was carried out for these questions with the Cronbach alpha being 0.725. A specific question consisting of five items was also used to determine the social capital of each school [ 20 ]. The minimum obtainable score from this 5-item instrument was 0 while the maximum was 19, those who obtained scores of 10 or more were classified as having “good school social capital and those with scores of between 0 and 9 were classified as having poor social capital. Data analysis was achieved through IBM SPSS version 20.0 and pertinent univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were done with a p-value < 0.05 taken as being statistically significant. Ethical Considerations Ethical issues were taken into consideration and clearance was obtained from the Osun State University’s Health Research and Ethics Committee. Permission was taken from concerned educational authorities. The respondents were informed that participation was entirely voluntary and they were also assured of confidentiality. Results This cross-sectional study examined psychosocial dysfunction and its associated factors among 494 in-school adolescents across eight secondary schools in Osun State, Nigeria. Using a multi-stage sampling technique and validated Paediatric Symptoms Checklist, the prevalence of psychosocial dysfunction and its relationships with socio-demographic, familial, and school-related factors were assessed. Table 1 shows the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. Most of the respondents were from public schools (55.9%), senior classes (64.4%), females (51.8%), and in the mid-adolescence age group (55.5%). Christianity is mostly practised (67.8%) among the respondents, the majority are from monogamous families (73.1%) with parents currently married (86.2%), and both parents with a low level of education (43.5%), and (41.5%) respectively for mothers and fathers. Table 1 Sociodemographic Characteristics of the Respondents Socio-demographic variable Sub-variable Frequency N = 494 Percentage (%) Type of School Public 276 55.9 Private 218 44.1 Class Junior Class 176 35.6 Senior Class 318 64.4 Sex Male 238 48.2 Female 256 51.8 Age-group Early Adolescence (10–13) 150 30.3 Mid- Adolescence (14–16) 274 55.5 Late Adolescence (17–18) 70 14.2 Religion Christianity 335 67.8 Islam 156 31.6 Traditional 3 0.6 Family Type Monogamous 361 73.1 Polygamous 133 26.9 Parents’ Marital Status Currently Married 426 86.2 Not Currently Married 68 13.8 Mother’s Educational Level *** Low Level of Education 215 43.5 High Level of Education 177 35.8 Unknown 102 20.7 Father’s Educational Level *** Low Level of Education 205 41.5 High Level of Education 201 40.7 Unknown 88 17.8 Figure 1 shows the psychosocial functioning status of the respondents. The majority of the respondents (89.3%) had functional psychosocial status and 10.7% of the respondents had dysfunctional psychosocial status. Table 2 Respondents' socio-demographic characteristics related to their psychosocial status Socio-demographic variable Sub-variable Psychosocial Status Statistics Functional n = 441 (89.3%) Dysfunctional n = 53 (10.7%) Type of School Public 268 (97.1) 8(2.9) x 2 = 40.037 p < 0.001* Private 173(79.4) 45(20.6) Class Junior Class 147(83.5) 29(16.5) x 2 = 9.433 p = 0.002* Senior Class 294(92.5) 24(7.5) Sex Male 211(88.7) 27(11.3) x 2 = 0.182 p = 0.670 Female 230(89.8) 26(10.2) Age-group Early Adolescence (10–13) 121(80.7) 29(19.3) x 2 = 16.654 p = < 0.001* Mid- Adolescence (14–16) 255(93.1) 19(6.9) Late Adolescence (17–18) 65(92.9) 5(7.1) Religion Christianity 286(85.4) 49(14.6) x 2 = 20.670# p < 0.001* Islam 152(97.4) 4(2.6) Traditional 3(100) 0(0) Family Type Monogamous 316(87.5) 45(12.5) x 2 = 4.222 p = 0.040* Polygamous 125(94.0) 8(6.0) Parents’ Marital Status Currently Married 382(89.7) 44(10.3) x 2 = 0.517 p = 0.472 Not Currently Married 59(86.8) 9(13.2) Mother’s Educational Level Low Level 208(96.7) 7(3.3) x 2 = 22.729 p < 0.001* High Level 146(82.5) 31(17.5) Unknown 87(85.3) 15(14.7) Father’s Educational Level Low Level of Education 196(95.6) 9(4.4) x 2 = 14.726 p = 0.001* High Level 170(84.6) 31(15.4) Unknown 75(85.2) 13(14.8) * Statistically significant. # Likelihood ratio used since at least one cell has expected count < 5 Table 2 shows the socio-demographic characteristics related to the psychosocial status of the respondents. Type of school, class, age group, religion, family type, mothers’ and fathers’ educational level were all associated with psychosocial status as they all show statistically significant at p < 0.05. More respondents in public schools (97.1%), senior classes (92.25%), their mid-adolescence (93.1%), from polygamous families (94.0%) and who have parents with a low level of education have functional psychosocial status compared to respondents that are from private schools (79.4%), junior classes (83.5%), early (80.7%) and late adolescence (92.9%), from monogamous families (87.5%), and parents with a high or unknown level of education. Concerning religion, all three traditionalists had functional psychosocial status compared to 97.4% of Muslims and 85.4% of Christians. The sex and parental marital status variables were not statistically significant. Table 3 Psychosocial conditions at school related with the respondent’s psychosocial status Variable Sub-variable Psychosocial Status Statistics Functional n = 441 (%) Dysfunctional n = 53 (%) My school reduces unnecessary stress on students Yes 294(91.9) 26(8.1) x 2 = 6.431 p = 0.011* No 147(84.5) 27(15.5) My school provide a safe, stimulating, and welcoming environment Yes 381(91.1) 37(8.9) x 2 = 9.995 p = 0.002* No 60(78.9) 16(21.1) Free to walk up to my teachers when I have personal issues No/ Not sure 105(82.0) 23(18.0) x 2 = 9.455 p = 0.002* Yes 336(91.8) 30(8.2) My school promotes the rights both of boys and girls, giving them equal opportunities No/ Not sure 67(75.3) 22(24.7) x 2 = 22.185 p < 0.001* Yes 374(92.3) 31(7.7) My school provides a fully inclusive environment with no discrimination. No/ Not sure 74(76.3) 23(23.7) x 2 = 21.241 p < 0.001* Yes 367(92.4) 30(7.6) Students encouraged to participate in making decisions that concern them No/ Not sure 80(81.6) 18(18.4) x 2 = 7.448 p = 0.006** Yes 361(91.2) 35(8.8) Feeling on arrival in school on most days Happy/ Joyful 379(94.8) 21(5.2) x 2 = 49.110# p < 0.001* Indifferent 44(74.6) 15(25.4) Sad/ Terribly sad 11(47.8) 12(52.2) School’s social capital*** Poor Social Capital 21(70.0%) 9(30.0%) x 2 = 10.335# p = 0.001** Good Social Capital 420(90.5%) 44(9.5%) * Statistically significant #likelihood ratio used. At least one cell had an expected count < 5. Table 3 shows the relationship between psychosocial conditions at school and the respondent’s psychosocial status. More respondents who felt that the school reduced unnecessary stress (91.9%) had functional psychosocial compared to those who did not (84.5%), just as more of those who stated that their school provided a suitable/ enabling environment (91.1% against 78.9%). Also, more respondents who stated that their schools promote equal rights relating to boys and girls (92.3%) as well as provide an inclusive environment without discrimination92.4%) had functional psychosocial status than their counterparts with 75.3 and 76.3% respectively. Moreover, more respondents who felt that students are encouraged to participate in decisions that concern them (91.2%), as well as those who have happy feelings on arrival at school (94.8%) had functional psychosocial status compared to their counterparts. More of the respondents who are free to walk up to their teachers to discuss issues (91.8%), as well as those whose schools had good social capital (90.5%), had functional psychosocial status compared to their counterparts. All variables were statistically significant. Apart from questions on school psychosocial conditions, a home-related question was asked regarding the general condition/ mood in the respondent’s home with 407(90.8%) of 448 stating that the mood in their home was most times happy/ joyful compared to 20(69.0%) out of 29 who stated it was more of an indifferent (neither joyful nor sad) situation while all five (100.0%) who said the general condition in their home was sad or terribly sad had functional psychosocial status. This was statistically significant at p = 0.004 (Table not shown). Table 4 Comparison of Mean Scores on Three Key Parameters from the Paediatric Symptom Checklist Across Psychosocial Status Groups and Genders Parameter/ Grouped variable T-Statistic df P-Value Mean for respondents Mean Difference 95% Confidence Interval Lower Upper Functional Psychosocial status (n = 441) Dysfunctional Psychosocial status (n = 53). Attention -12.102 492 < 0.001 2.0635 5.0755 -3.012 -3.50098 -2.52298 Internalizing -15.102 492 < 0.001 2.1746 6.2453 -4.071 -4.60029 -3.54106 Externalizing -7.775 492 < 0.001 4.0317 6.2264 -2.195 -2.74929 -1.64005 Males (238) Females (256) Attention -324 492 0.746 2.3571 2.4141 -0.057 -0.40190 0.28806 Internalizing -2321 492 0.021 2.3697 2.8359 -0.466 -0.86087 -0.07151 Externalizing 0.061 492 0.951 4.2731 4.2617 0.011 -0.35261 0.37539 There were statistically significant differences between respondents with functional and dysfunctional psychosocial status with regards to the mean scores for the following variables- “attention”, “internalizing” and “externalizing” In all three cases, respondents with dysfunctional status had significantly higher means than those with functional status (p < 0.001). T-test was also used to test for any difference in the means of the three main parameters between males and females and it was only the variable “internalizing” that showed a statistically significant difference between males and females with females having a higher mean score than males as shown in Table 4 . One-way ANOVA was also used to test the mean difference between the three age groups and the three main parameters, but there were no statistically significant differences between the three age groups in this regard. (Table not shown) Table 5 Binary Logistic regression for the outcome variable “psychosocial functioning” and its possible socio-demographic and school-related psychosocial conditions predictors Variables Sub variables Odds ratio P-value 95% Confidence Interval Lower Upper Possible socio-demographic predictors School type Private school 1 Public school 0.106 < 0.001* 0.048 0.233 Family type Polygamous 1 Monogamous 2.116 0.073 0.932 4.804 Age-group Late adolescence 1 Early adolescence 2.755 0.115 0.781 9.717 Mid adolescence 0.998 0.997 0.342 2.914 Class Senior class 1 Junior class 1.279 0.568 0.549 2.977 Possible school-related psychosocial conditions predictors My school reduces unnecessary stress on students. No 1 Yes 0.981 0.958 0.474 2.029 My school provides a safe, stimulating, and welcoming environment for students. No ` 1 Yes 0.779 0.590 0.314 1.933 Free to walk up to my teachers when I have personal issues Yes 1 No 1.114 0.776 0.530 2.341 My school promotes the rights both of boys and girls, giving them equal opportunities. Yes 1 No 2.422 0.030 1.088 5.393 My school provides a fully inclusive environment with no discrimination Yes 1 No 1.442 0.393 0.623 3.338 Students are encouraged to participate in making decisions that concern them Yes 1 No 0.860 0.742 0.351 2.107 Feeling on arrival in school on most days Sad/ Terribly sad 1 Happy/ Joyful 0.070 0.001 0.026 0.192 Indifferent 0.344 0.053 0.116 1.016 School social capital Good social capital 1 Poor social capital 2.220 0.137 0.776 6.353 Table 5 shows the binary logistic regression model for psychosocial functioning on one hand and the possible socio-demographic characteristics and school psychosocial conditions predictors on the other hand. With regards to Table 5 , school type is one of the factors associated with psychosocial functioning while other variables were not. Respondents who attend public schools are about nine times less likely to have a dysfunctional psychosocial status than respondents who attend private schools (AOR- 0.106). Similarly, the variables “promotion of the rights of boys and girls through equal opportunities” and “feeling on arrival to school on most days” were predictive of psychosocial functioning while other variables were not. Respondents whose schools do not promote the rights of boys and girls are about two and a half times more likely to have a dysfunctional psychosocial status than respondents whose schools promote the rights of boys and girls. (AOR- 2.422). Concerning the variable “feeling on arrival in school on most days”, respondents who feel happy/ joyful are 14 times less likely to have a dysfunctional psychosocial status than respondents who feel sad/ terribly sad when arriving at school on most days (AOR- 0.070). Discussion This study assessed the psychological health status of in-school adolescents in Osun State, southwest Nigeria and examined its relationships with socio-demographic factors and school psychosocial conditions. About one in ten adolescents had dysfunctional psychosocial status, which is lower than previous findings [ 5 , 9 , 10 ]. This is likely due to methodological differences in settings and study respondents. For instance, Anyanwu et al. (2017) focused on adolescents who abuse substances, contributing to higher prevalence, while the other studies were conducted in Nepal, a different setting [ 10 ]. Apart from gender and parental marital status, all socio-demographic variables including type of school, class, age group, religion, family type, and parental education were significantly associated with psychosocial status. A significant association was found between school type and psychosocial status, with less than 3% of public-school adolescents having dysfunctional psychosocial status compared to over one-fifth in private schools. This may be due to private school adolescents receiving tender care, making them less resilient, unlike their public-school counterparts, who develop coping mechanisms from their lower socio-economic backgrounds [ 21 ]. Thus, it is possible that adolescents in public schools who are usually from lower socio-economic backgrounds may have been toughened by their experiences over the years and can cope better in their social interactions with various peers from varying backgrounds. More adolescents in junior classes had dysfunctional psychosocial status than seniors, possibly due to maturity-related coping skills. This could be a result of the fact that senior-class adolescents are older and are more mature to better deal with home and school psychosocial stress compared to the younger junior-class adolescents [ 22 ]. Similarly, early adolescents had more dysfunction than middle and late adolescents, aligning with Abdul Latiff et al., Anyanwu et al., and Bista et al. [ 5 , 10 , 11 ] but contradicting Timalsina et al. (2018) who reported otherwise [ 4 ]. This dysfunction in early adolescence could be due to neurodevelopmental factors since it coincides with puberty which is marked by hormonal changes and brain restructuring such as prefrontal cortex maturation lagging behind limbic system development. This imbalance increases emotional reactivity and impairs stress regulation, elevating dysfunction risk [ 23 ], and Timalsina et al (2018) that reported higher dysfunction in late adolescents could be possibly due to prolonged exposure to academic pressures or socioeconomic burdens like family financial strain [ 4 ]. Religion was significantly associated with psychosocial status, supporting Banstola [ 9 ] but conflicting with Timalsina et al. [ 4 ]. This religious influence could be positive in terms of structured social support such as youth groups or religious mentorship, and religious practices have been found to foster a sense of control and reduce anxiety [ 24 ]. However, adolescents in multi-faith settings may be psychologically stressed by doctrinal rigidities negating protective effects [ 25 ]. In this study, family type was significant, with more adolescents from monogamous families having dysfunctional psychosocial status than those from polygamous families, which aligns with Banstola [ 9 ] and Bista et al.[ 5 ] but contradicting Timalsina et al. [ 4 ]. One might expect polygamous homes to have more dysfunction due to frequent conflicts, but resilience from diverse sibling interactions may explain the findings. Parental education level was significantly associated with adolescents’ psychosocial status. Adolescents of less-educated parents had better psychosocial status, mirroring the school-type pattern. Bista et al. (2016) reported similar findings[ 5 ], while Banstola (2017) and Timalsina et al. (2018) had mixed results as they reported no significant association between parental education level and the adolescents’ psychosocial health status [ 4 , 9 ]. This could be because less-educated parents may impose fewer academic expectations on their children, reducing stress and performance anxiety while highly educated parents often have higher aspirations, which can increase pressure on adolescents to excel, leading to anxiety, burnout, and psychosocial dysfunction [ 26 ]. Interestingly, all school psychosocial conditions examined were significantly associated with psychosocial status. Adolescents from schools that reduce unnecessary stress had better psychosocial health, which is consistent with Banstola (2017) and Duchesne et al. (2012) where most psychosocial conditions were significantly associated with their respondents’ psychosocial status [ 9 , 27 ]. This is expected because schools that actively work to reduce unnecessary stress create environments that support adolescents' mental well-being. When academic pressures are balanced with appropriate support systems, students can focus on learning without the negative effects of chronic stress on their developing brains. This allows for healthier psychological development and better emotional regulation skills, directly contributing to improved psychosocial health outcomes. Furthermore, the findings of the study revealed that a safe, stimulating, and welcoming environment positively influenced adolescents’ psychosocial health, which aligns with Maltais et al. (2017) study, which affirmed the fact that students who negatively perceived their school environment tend to develop emotional problems [ 28 ]. Similarly, adolescents who freely relate with teachers had better psychosocial status, supporting Vargas et al. (2019) and Maltais et al. (2017) findings, who reported that teachers’ negative attitudes affect adolescents’ mental well-being. In addition, schools that promote equal opportunities and non-discrimination were associated with better psychosocial well-being, as discrimination adversely affects mental health [ 28 , 29 ]. This finding is not surprising too because when schools actively foster psychological safety, encourage supportive teacher-student relationships, and promote equality, they create conditions that satisfy fundamental psychological needs for belonging, competence, and autonomy [ 22 ]. More of the adolescents who participate in decision-making, feel happy in school and have good school social capital had functional psychosocial status, as these are mental health-promoting factors. Adolescents with dysfunctional psychosocial status had significantly higher attention, internalizing, and externalizing problem scores, suggesting a risk of psychopathology such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and oppositional defiant disorder. Female adolescents had higher mean scores in attention and internalizing problems, indicating a greater predisposition to depression and anxiety. This is affirmed in a previous study that found that girls reported significantly higher rates of internalizing problems and health issues compared to boys during adolescence [ 30 ]. This study highlights the overlooked role of school conditions in adolescent psychosocial health. While personal and family factors are important, school environments significantly impact adolescents' psychosocial well-being and warrant greater attention. Study Strengths and Limitations This study provides insights into the psychosocial health of in-school adolescents in Osun State, Nigeria, identifying key socio-demographic, familial, and school-related factors associated with dysfunction. As one of the few studies examining these relationships in a Nigerian context, it offers valuable evidence for policymakers and educators to design targeted mental health interventions in schools. The use of a multi-stage sampling strategy across eight schools and the validated Paediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC-35) strengthens the reliability of the findings, while the inclusion of diverse predictors from family structure to school climate provides a comprehensive understanding of psychosocial risks in this population. However, while the study captures a representative sample of Osun State adolescents, its findings may not fully generalize to other regions of Nigeria or different cultural settings, where familial or educational dynamics could vary significantly. Conclusion This study was conducted among 494 school-going adolescents in Osun state, south-west Nigeria. Findings of this study showed that about one out of ten adolescents had dysfunctional psychosocial status. Most of the socio-demographic factors explored were significantly associated with the adolescents’ psychosocial status while all the school psychosocial conditions were significantly associated with the adolescents’ psychosocial status. School type, gender equality in school, and being happy at school were the predictors of the adolescents’ psychosocial status in this study. School-based programmes to safeguard and improve the mental well-being of school adolescents should be put in place in all secondary schools across the state. Declarations Authorship contributions O.A.G, T.W.A and A.T.P conceptualized the research. F.I.O, F.E.O, O.O.O and A.M.A participated in data collection and writing the methods. A.H.T and T.W.A analyzed and interpreted the data. O.A.G, A.T.P, A.K.A, F.I.O and T.W.A drafted the original manuscript. All the authors reviewed the manuscript and approved it for publication. Funding: This research did not receive any grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Data availability The data set supporting this study’s finding is freely available in Excel CSV format on Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15210286 Acknowledgements: The authors acknowledge the authorities of the schools involved in the study as well as the office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Osun State. Declaration of interest: No conflict of interest on the part of all authors. Consent to Participate : Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study (and from their parents/guardians if under 16). Clinical Trial Number: N ot applicable Consent to Publish : Not applicable References UNICEF. Mental health: Ensuring mental health and well-being in an adolescent’s formative years can foster a better transition from childhood to adulthood [Internet]. Unicef web page. 2019 [cited 2022 Apr 13]. p. e. Available from: https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-health/mental-health/ Cortez R, Saadat S, Marinda E, Odutolu O. Adolescent Fertility and Sexual Health in Nigeria. Health, Nutrition, and Population Discussion Paper. Washington DC: World Bank CC BY 3.0 IGO.”; 2016. Available from: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/24041 Nas K, Cevik R, Batum S, Sarac AJ, Acar S, Kalkanli S. Immunologic and psychosocial status in chronic fatigue syndrome. Bratisl Lek Listy [Internet]. 2011;112:208–12. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21585130 Timalsina M, Kafle M, Timalsina R. Psychosocial Problems among School Going Adolescents in Nepal. Psychiatry J [Internet]. 2018;2018:1–6. Available from: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/psychiatry/2018/4675096/ Bista B, Thapa P, Sapkota D, Singh SB, Pokharel PK. Psychosocial Problems among Adolescent Students: An Exploratory Study in the Central Region of Nepal. Front Public Heal [Internet]. 2016;4. Available from: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Article/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00158/abstract Muppidathi S, Boj J, Kunjithapatham M. Use of the pediatric symptom checklist to screen for behaviour problems in children. Int J Contemp Pediatr [Internet]. 2017;4:886. Available from: http://www.ijpediatrics.com/index.php/ijcp/article/view/486 Kekkonen VK, Kivimaki P, Valtonen H, Tolmunen T, Lehto SM, Hintikka J, et al. Psychosocial problems in adolescents associated with frequent health care use. Fam Pract [Internet]. 2015;32:305–10. Available from: https://academic.oup.com/fampra/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/fampra/cmu090 AlAzzam M, Abuhammad S, Tawalbeh L, Dalky H. Prevalence and Correlates of Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidality Among High School Students: A National Study. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv [Internet]. 2021;59:43–51. Available from: https://journals.healio.com/doi/10.3928/02793695-20210426-02 Banstola RS. Psychosocial Problem among School-going Adolescents in Pokhara, Western Nepal. Janapriya J Interdiscip Stud. 2018;6:121–33. Anyanwu O, Ibekwe R, Ojinnaka N. Psychosocial dysfunction among adolescents who abuse substances in secondary schools in Abakaliki, Nigeria. Niger J Clin Pract [Internet]. 2017;20:665. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/1119-3077.208953 Abdul Latiff L, Tajik E, Ibrahim N, Bakar ASA, Shirin SSAA. Psychosocial problem and its associated factors among adolescents in the secondary schools in Pasir Gudang, Johor. Malaysian J Med Heal Sci. 2017;13:35–44. Amuyunzu-Nyamongo M. The social and cultural aspects of mental health in African societies. Commonw Heal Partnerships [Internet]. 2013;59–63. Available from: http://www.commonwealthhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/The-social-and-cultural-aspects-of-mental-health-in-African-societies_CHP13.pdf Andrade BF, Browne DT, Tannock R. Prosocial skills may be necessary for better peer functioning in children with symptoms of disruptive behavior disorders. PeerJ [Internet]. 2014;2:e487. Available from: https://peerj.com/articles/487 Famakinwa TT, Olagunju OE, Akinnawonu CI. A study of psychosocial challenges of public secondary school students in a semi-urban area of Southwest- Nigeria. J Community Med Prim Heal Care. 2016;28:59-64–64. Pengpid S, Peltzer K. Prevalence and associated factors of loneliness among a national sample of in-school adolescents in Morocco. J Psychol Africa [Internet]. 2021;31:303–9. Available from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14330237.2021.1928918 Gebremedhin H, Bifftu B, Lebessa MT, Weldeyes A, Gebru TT, Petrucka P. Prevalence and Associated Factors of Psychological Distress Among Secondary School Students in Mekelle City, Tigray Region, Ethiopia: Cross-Sectional Study. Psychol Res Behav Manag [Internet]. 2020;Volume 13:473–80. Available from: https://www.dovepress.com/prevalence-and-associated-factors-of-psychological-distress-among-seco-peer-reviewed-article-PRBM Muzzolon SRB, Cat MNL, Santos LHC dos. Evaluation of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist as a screening tool for the identification of emotional and psychosocial problems. Rev Paul Pediatr [Internet]. 2013;31:359–65. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-05822013000300359&lng=en&tlng=en Skarphedinsson G, Jarbin H, Andersson M, Ivarsson T. Diagnostic efficiency and validity of the DSM-oriented Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self-Report scales in a clinical sample of Swedish youth. Olino TM, editor. PLoS One [Internet]. 2021;16:e0254953. Available from: https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254953 Bergmann P, Lucke C, Nguyen T, Jellinek M, Murphy JM. Identification and Utility of a Short Form of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-Youth Self-Report (PSC-17-Y). Eur J Psychol Assess [Internet]. 2020;36:56–64. Available from: https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/10.1027/1015-5759/a000486 Button B, Trites S, Janssen I. Relations between the school physical environment and school social capital with student physical activity levels. BMC Public Health [Internet]. 2013;13:1191. Available from: https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-13-1191 Singh R, Mahato S, Singh B, Thapa J, Gartland D. Resilience In Nepalese Adolescents: Socio-Demographic Factors Associated With Low Resilience. J Multidiscip Healthc [Internet]. 2019;Volume 12:893–902. Available from: https://www.dovepress.com/resilience-in-nepalese-adolescents-socio-demographic-factors-associate-peer-reviewed-article-JMDH Gomez AMC, Calonia JL, Huera MD. Stress and coping strategies of senior high school students: basis for action plan. Sapienza. 2021;2:32–8. Dennison CA, Shakeshaft A, Eyre O, Tilling K, Rice F, Thapar A. Investigating the neurodevelopmental correlates of early adolescent-onset emotional problems. J Affect Disord [Internet]. 2024;364:212–20. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0165032724012230 William CS, Megan J W, Lindsay A N, Jeanette A S. Review of the Effect of Religion on Anxiety. Int J Depress Anxiety [Internet]. 2019;2. Available from: https://www.clinmedjournals.org/articles/ijda/international-journal-of-depression-and-anxiety-ijda-2-016.php?jid=ijda Hardy SA, Nelson JM, Moore JP, King PE. Processes of Religious and Spiritual Influence in Adolescence: A Systematic Review of 30 Years of Research. J Res Adolesc [Internet]. 2019;29:254–75. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jora.12486 Xu T, Zuo F, Zheng K. Parental Educational Expectations, Academic Pressure, and Adolescent Mental Health: An Empirical Study Based on CEPS Survey Data. Int J Ment Health Promot [Internet]. 2024;26:93–103. Available from: https://www.techscience.com/IJMHP/v26n2/55605 Duchesne S, Ratelle CF, Roy A. Worries About Middle School Transition and Subsequent Adjustment. J Early Adolesc [Internet]. 2012;32:681–710. Available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0272431611419506 Maltais C, Duchesne S, Ratelle CF, Feng B. Learning climate, academic competence, and anxiety during the transition to middle school: Parental attachment as a protective factor. Eur Rev Appl Psychol [Internet]. 2017;67:103–12. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1162908817300154 Vargas B, Leiva L, Rojas-Andrade R, Scquicciarini AM. Effects of Psychosocial Adversity on School Maladjustment: A Follow-up of Primary School Students. Psicol Educ [Internet]. 2019;25:101–8. Available from: https://journals.copmadrid.org/psed/art/psed2019a10 Jamnik MR, DiLalla LF. Health outcomes associated with internalizing problems in early childhood and adolescence. Front Psychol. 2019;10:1–11. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6448199","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":453379260,"identity":"c51fb7c0-4b55-4565-bab4-63ba001bdb2f","order_by":0,"name":"Akinlolu Gabriel Omisore","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Community Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Osun State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Akinlolu","middleName":"Gabriel","lastName":"Omisore","suffix":""},{"id":453379261,"identity":"93d9729d-fbd2-484b-962b-2ebbd76e2775","order_by":1,"name":"Toluwaleke Pat Ajiki","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Osun State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Toluwaleke","middleName":"Pat","lastName":"Ajiki","suffix":""},{"id":453379262,"identity":"ca70fd52-b6b5-4150-93cb-9ac497337d6f","order_by":2,"name":"Ifedola Olabisi Faramade","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Community Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Osun State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ifedola","middleName":"Olabisi","lastName":"Faramade","suffix":""},{"id":453379263,"identity":"b1dbf3a0-9412-411d-8d02-79186a49d0b2","order_by":3,"name":"Emmanuel O. Farinloye","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Health Sciences, Osun State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Emmanuel","middleName":"O.","lastName":"Farinloye","suffix":""},{"id":453379264,"identity":"d0551104-ba28-4d0c-8cc5-ef5b841654c5","order_by":4,"name":"Omolola O. Olotu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Osun State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Omolola","middleName":"O.","lastName":"Olotu","suffix":""},{"id":453379265,"identity":"968d8c88-1674-4fed-8a96-45cce477cb6f","order_by":5,"name":"Michael A. Abidemi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Osun State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Michael","middleName":"A.","lastName":"Abidemi","suffix":""},{"id":453379266,"identity":"bd068749-130a-4c25-8685-e209c002934c","order_by":6,"name":"Hannah T. Afolabi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Osun State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hannah","middleName":"T.","lastName":"Afolabi","suffix":""},{"id":453379267,"identity":"692608ee-a504-4cbc-9f41-54de4f11601d","order_by":7,"name":"Waliu Adesegun Tajudeen","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABE0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHCCBAYeMM3ccICh4p8ciHngAR71PAgtjEAtZw4Yg7Uk4NfCANfCwNh2ILEBYjNuYM9+4JnEmwqbPIPjBxsP85y5kz4/7PBDoC12croNOGzhSUiTnHMmrdjgTGLDYZ6KZ7kbb6cZALUkG5sdwOWwhDRp3rbDidsOgLScYc7dODsBpOUAUASHFv4HQC3//iduO/+w4TBvG3O64ez0D/i1SIBsaQAquJEI0nI4QV46h4AtNx4kW845lpy4/8bDhoNATxlukM4pOJBggNsv7P05iTfe1NglzuxPPvwBGHTy8rPTN3/4UGEnh0sL0J4EVL4BWKUBLuVge9AMk2/Ap3oUjIJRMApGIgAAKBpunfouFkIAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Osun State University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Waliu","middleName":"Adesegun","lastName":"Tajudeen","suffix":""},{"id":453379268,"identity":"1d4483a7-6642-4a89-af4b-11f6b85c9f58","order_by":8,"name":"Kamoru A. Adesina","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Nursing Science, College of Health Sciences, Osun State University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kamoru","middleName":"A.","lastName":"Adesina","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-14 17:23:09","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6448199/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6448199/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":82464396,"identity":"21c1f79c-6b2f-4c44-bb5f-6ba47a1b36ce","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-11 15:46:11","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":9296,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePsychosocial functioning status of respondents\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Onlinedrawingimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6448199/v1/956d6adbee6151393e410f7c.png"},{"id":85371082,"identity":"9fb1ce86-fb28-46b9-90a6-1515dbcb8589","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-25 07:33:32","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1726171,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6448199/v1/5f26eed1-e876-4ca8-b832-02a42a899725.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Topic: Factors Associated with Psychosocial Dysfunctions Among In-School Adolescents in Osun State, Nigeria","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe United Nations regards those from age 10\u0026ndash;19 as adolescents and this group accounts for about 1.2\u0026nbsp;billion globally [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. A large number of these adolescents live in developing countries such as Nigeria whose population is majorly youthful with adolescents constituting about 22.5% of their population[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. Psychosocial status encompasses an individual\u0026rsquo;s social and psychosocial well-being including emotional state, social relationship and general mental health. It considers how factors such as stress, anxiety and depression interact with social factors like social networks, community and family support [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePsychosocial problems mostly occur among children and adolescents [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e] and about 10% of the world's adolescents are reported to be suffering from psychosocial dysfunctions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]. It is also projected that 20% of adolescents globally will experience a mental disorder every year (UNICEF, 2019). Mental and behavioural problems among adolescents in African countries are often treated with levity despite their high prevalence with very few getting the required management [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. This probably is a result of the misinterpretation that alterations observed in adolescence are secondary to puberty and the development of the body [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePsychosocial problems among in-school students have been noted to affect their academic performance and general well-being [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. Evidence from previous studies showed a high prevalence of psychosocial health dysfunction among adolescents in different parts of the world. For instance, Banstola (2017) reported that 21.7% of adolescents had psychosocial problems [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. Another study by Bista et al (2016), found a prevalence of 17.03% of psychosocial disorder among school adolescents in Nepal [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]. Muppidathi et al. (2017) found a prevalence of 18.0% among Indian children while Timalsina et al. (2018) found a prevalence of 12.9% [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdolescents face numerous challenges as they transition from childhood immaturity towards adult maturity [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. These challenges increase adolescents\u0026rsquo; susceptibility to psychosocial problems that can manifest in different domains of life including physical, social, cognitive, and mental domains [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e]. Adolescents who suffer from psychosocial dysfunction may be adversely affected and find it difficult to lead a purposeful life in adulthood [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdolescents exist, learn, and grow within an environment that influences their psychosocial development [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. Personal, family, and school factors among other factors have been associated with adolescent psychosocial adaptation and behaviour, adolescents facing familial stressors such as parental abuse or conflict are more likely to develop psychosocial problems [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. In-school adolescents spend most of their productive and/or interactive time in school, an environment that may sometimes be hostile and unsupportive to the psychosocial development of adolescents[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e], as social isolation of insufficient peer support may lead to feelings of loneliness and depression [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e]. It has been documented that symptoms of mental illness manifest as early as age 14 in about one out of two people with the conditions in adulthood [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo benefit maximally from school, adolescents\u0026rsquo; mental well-being must be intact as any impairment may have a detrimental effect on their psychosocial status and outcomes [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. Early onset of mental disorders leads to an interruption of education and occupational development of affected adolescents [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. Inadequate attention to psychological issues at this crucial stage may lead to unfavourable consequences that may persist into adult life [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]. The lack of early recognition and prompt treatment can be detrimental to the adolescent\u0026rsquo;s daily life, the family, and the society at large [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]. Although the psychosocial functioning of adolescents has been well researched and reported all over the world, not many studies have been done in Nigeria, especially those concerned with determinants at the individual, family, and school levels. This study aimed to determine the psychosocial health status of in-school adolescents and the personal, family and school factors associated with it.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe study involved 494 respondents drawn from eight secondary schools drawn from four out of the 30 local government areas (LGAs) in Osun State, South-western, Nigeria. It was a cross-sectional descriptive study and participants were in-school adolescents selected by a multi-stage sampling technique across senatorial districts, LGAs, towns, and types of schools. The study recruited in-school adolescents aged 10\u0026ndash;18 years. Data were collected using a pre-tested, facilitated self-administered questionnaire. A total of 494 participants completed the questionnaire, out of more than 500 distributed. The age of 18 was the maximal recommended age for filling the psychosocial status-determining instrument. Pertinent information was collected on socio-demographic variables, psychosocial functioning status of respondents, and psychosocial conditions at home and/or school. The main outcome variable was psychosocial functioning status and it was measured by a previously validated 35-item questionnaire adopted from the \u0026ldquo;Youth (self) report of the \u0026ldquo;Paediatric symptoms checklist\u0026rdquo; [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e]. This self-rating instrument consists of 35 items that have responses as \u003cb\u003e\u0026ldquo;\u003c/b\u003eNever,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Sometimes,\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;Often\u0026rdquo; and scored 0, 1, and 2, respectively. The total score is calculated by summing together the score obtained by each respondent for each of the 35 items, thus grossing a maximum total of 70 and a minimum of 0. This was further categorized as 0\u0026ndash;30 as having a functional psychosocial status and 31\u0026ndash;70 as having a dysfunctional psychosocial status.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrevious users of the \u0026ldquo;Paediatric symptoms checklist\u0026rdquo; have identified three main categories out of the 35 questions- Attention, Internalizing and Externalizing Problems, Internalizing problems suggestive of depression or anxiety with symptoms such as feeling hopeless, seemingly having less fun in life, feeling unhappy or sad, worrying a lot, and down on/ with oneself [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. Attention problems include getting distracted easily; acting as if one is driven by a motor/ uncontrollable force; daydreaming too much; being fidgety, unable to sit still; and having trouble concentrating. Externalizing problems are suggestive of conduct or defiant disorders and the questions in this category include not listening to rules, refusing or failing to share, fighting with other children, teasing others, not understanding other people\u0026rsquo;s feelings, and taking things that do not belong to one. The mean scores for all three categories were calculated and taken into consideration.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSome other questions relating to psychosocial conditions (social interactions with school teachers and mates as well as provision of an enabling social environment) within the school were asked and the researchers documented herewith those that showed statistical significance with the psychosocial status. Reliability analysis was carried out for these questions with the Cronbach alpha being 0.725. A specific question consisting of five items was also used to determine the social capital of each school [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. The minimum obtainable score from this 5-item instrument was 0 while the maximum was 19, those who obtained scores of 10 or more were classified as having \u0026ldquo;good school social capital and those with scores of between 0 and 9 were classified as having poor social capital. Data analysis was achieved through IBM SPSS version 20.0 and pertinent univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were done with a p-value\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05 taken as being statistically significant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eEthical Considerations\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e Ethical issues were taken into consideration and clearance was obtained from the Osun State University\u0026rsquo;s Health Research and Ethics Committee. Permission was taken from concerned educational authorities. The respondents were informed that participation was entirely voluntary and they were also assured of confidentiality.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis cross-sectional study examined psychosocial dysfunction and its associated factors among 494 in-school adolescents across eight secondary schools in Osun State, Nigeria. Using a multi-stage sampling technique and validated Paediatric Symptoms Checklist, the prevalence of psychosocial dysfunction and its relationships with socio-demographic, familial, and school-related factors were assessed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e shows the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. Most of the respondents were from public schools (55.9%), senior classes (64.4%), females (51.8%), and in the mid-adolescence age group (55.5%). Christianity is mostly practised (67.8%) among the respondents, the majority are from monogamous families (73.1%) with parents currently married (86.2%), and both parents with a low level of education (43.5%), and (41.5%) respectively for mothers and fathers.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSociodemographic Characteristics of the Respondents\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSocio-demographic variable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSub-variable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;494\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eType of School\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublic\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e276\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e55.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrivate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e218\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eClass\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJunior Class\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e176\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior Class\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e318\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e64.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSex\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e238\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e256\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAge-group\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEarly Adolescence (10\u0026ndash;13)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e150\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMid- Adolescence (14\u0026ndash;16)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e274\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e55.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLate Adolescence (17\u0026ndash;18)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eReligion\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChristianity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e335\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e67.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIslam\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e156\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTraditional\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFamily Type\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMonogamous\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e361\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePolygamous\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e133\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eParents\u0026rsquo; Marital Status\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCurrently Married\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e426\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot Currently Married\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMother\u0026rsquo;s Educational Level ***\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLow Level of Education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e215\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigh Level of Education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e177\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnknown\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e102\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFather\u0026rsquo;s Educational Level ***\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLow Level of Education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e205\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigh Level of Education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e201\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnknown\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure \u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e shows the psychosocial functioning status of the respondents. The majority of the respondents (89.3%) had functional psychosocial status and 10.7% of the respondents had dysfunctional psychosocial status.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRespondents' socio-demographic characteristics related to their psychosocial status\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSocio-demographic variable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSub-variable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePsychosocial Status\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStatistics\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFunctional n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;441 (89.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDysfunctional n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;53 (10.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eType of School\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublic\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e268 (97.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8(2.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;40.037\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrivate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e173(79.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45(20.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eClass\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJunior Class\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e147(83.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29(16.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;9.433\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.002*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior Class\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e294(92.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24(7.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSex\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e211(88.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27(11.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.182\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.670\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e230(89.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26(10.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAge-group\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEarly Adolescence (10\u0026ndash;13)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e121(80.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29(19.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;16.654\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMid- Adolescence (14\u0026ndash;16)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e255(93.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19(6.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLate Adolescence (17\u0026ndash;18)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e65(92.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5(7.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eReligion\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChristianity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e286(85.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49(14.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;20.670#\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIslam\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e152(97.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4(2.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTraditional\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3(100)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0(0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFamily Type\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMonogamous\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e316(87.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45(12.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4.222\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.040*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePolygamous\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e125(94.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8(6.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eParents\u0026rsquo; Marital Status\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCurrently Married\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e382(89.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44(10.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.517\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.472\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot Currently Married\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59(86.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9(13.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMother\u0026rsquo;s Educational Level\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLow Level\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e208(96.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7(3.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;22.729\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigh Level\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e146(82.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31(17.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnknown\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87(85.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15(14.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFather\u0026rsquo;s Educational Level\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLow Level of Education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e196(95.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9(4.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;14.726\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.001*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigh Level\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e170(84.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31(15.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnknown\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e75(85.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13(14.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003e* Statistically significant. # Likelihood ratio used since at least one cell has expected count\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;5\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e shows the socio-demographic characteristics related to the psychosocial status of the respondents. Type of school, class, age group, religion, family type, mothers\u0026rsquo; and fathers\u0026rsquo; educational level were all associated with psychosocial status as they all show statistically significant at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05. More respondents in public schools (97.1%), senior classes (92.25%), their mid-adolescence (93.1%), from polygamous families (94.0%) and who have parents with a low level of education have functional psychosocial status compared to respondents that are from private schools (79.4%), junior classes (83.5%), early (80.7%) and late adolescence (92.9%), from monogamous families (87.5%), and parents with a high or unknown level of education. Concerning religion, all three traditionalists had functional psychosocial status compared to 97.4% of Muslims and 85.4% of Christians. The sex and parental marital status variables were not statistically significant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePsychosocial conditions at school related with the respondent\u0026rsquo;s psychosocial status\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSub-variable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePsychosocial Status\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStatistics\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFunctional n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;441 (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDysfunctional n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;53 (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMy school reduces unnecessary stress on students\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e294(91.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26(8.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;6.431\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.011*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e147(84.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27(15.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMy school provide a safe, stimulating, and welcoming environment\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e381(91.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37(8.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;9.995\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.002*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60(78.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16(21.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFree to walk up to my teachers when I have personal issues\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo/ Not sure\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e105(82.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23(18.0)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;9.455\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.002*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e336(91.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30(8.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMy school promotes the rights both of boys and girls, giving them equal opportunities\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo/ Not sure\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e67(75.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22(24.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;22.185\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e374(92.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31(7.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMy school provides a fully inclusive environment with no discrimination.\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo/ Not sure\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e74(76.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23(23.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;21.241\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e367(92.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30(7.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eStudents encouraged to participate in making decisions that concern them\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo/ Not sure\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80(81.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18(18.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;7.448\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.006**\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e361(91.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35(8.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFeeling on arrival in school on most days\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHappy/ Joyful\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e379(94.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21(5.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;49.110#\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndifferent\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44(74.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15(25.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSad/ Terribly sad\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11(47.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12(52.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSchool\u0026rsquo;s social capital***\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoor Social Capital\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21(70.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9(30.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ex\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;10.335#\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.001**\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGood Social Capital\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e420(90.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44(9.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003e* Statistically significant #likelihood ratio used. At least one cell had an expected count\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;5.\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e shows the relationship between psychosocial conditions at school and the respondent\u0026rsquo;s psychosocial status. More respondents who felt that the school reduced unnecessary stress (91.9%) had functional psychosocial compared to those who did not (84.5%), just as more of those who stated that their school provided a suitable/ enabling environment (91.1% against 78.9%). Also, more respondents who stated that their schools promote equal rights relating to boys and girls (92.3%) as well as provide an inclusive environment without discrimination92.4%) had functional psychosocial status than their counterparts with 75.3 and 76.3% respectively. Moreover, more respondents who felt that students are encouraged to participate in decisions that concern them (91.2%), as well as those who have happy feelings on arrival at school (94.8%) had functional psychosocial status compared to their counterparts. More of the respondents who are free to walk up to their teachers to discuss issues (91.8%), as well as those whose schools had good social capital (90.5%), had functional psychosocial status compared to their counterparts. All variables were statistically significant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eApart from questions on school psychosocial conditions, a home-related question was asked regarding the general condition/ mood in the respondent\u0026rsquo;s home with 407(90.8%) of 448 stating that the mood in their home was most times happy/ joyful compared to 20(69.0%) out of 29 who stated it was more of an indifferent (neither joyful nor sad) situation while all five (100.0%) who said the general condition in their home was sad or terribly sad had functional psychosocial status. This was statistically significant at p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.004 (Table not shown).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eComparison of Mean Scores on Three Key Parameters from the Paediatric Symptom Checklist Across Psychosocial Status Groups and Genders\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"9\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParameter/ Grouped variable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eT-Statistic\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003edf\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP-Value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" morerows=\"1\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean for respondents\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean Difference\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e95% Confidence Interval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLower\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUpper\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFunctional Psychosocial status (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;441)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDysfunctional\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePsychosocial status (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;53).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAttention\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-12.102\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e492\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.0635\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.0755\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-3.012\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-3.50098\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-2.52298\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternalizing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-15.102\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e492\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.1746\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.2453\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-4.071\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-4.60029\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-3.54106\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExternalizing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-7.775\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e492\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.0317\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.2264\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-2.195\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-2.74929\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-1.64005\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMales (238)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFemales (256)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAttention\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-324\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e492\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.746\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.3571\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.4141\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.057\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.40190\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.28806\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternalizing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-2321\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e492\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.021\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.3697\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.8359\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.466\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.86087\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.07151\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExternalizing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.061\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e492\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.951\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.2731\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.2617\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.011\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.35261\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.37539\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere were statistically significant differences between respondents with functional and dysfunctional psychosocial status with regards to the mean scores for the following variables- \u0026ldquo;attention\u0026rdquo;, \u0026ldquo;internalizing\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;externalizing\u0026rdquo; In all three cases, respondents with dysfunctional status had significantly higher means than those with functional status (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001). T-test was also used to test for any difference in the means of the three main parameters between males and females and it was only the variable \u0026ldquo;internalizing\u0026rdquo; that showed a statistically significant difference between males and females with females having a higher mean score than males as shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e. One-way ANOVA was also used to test the mean difference between the three age groups and the three main parameters, but there were no statistically significant differences between the three age groups in this regard. (Table not shown)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBinary Logistic regression for the outcome variable \u0026ldquo;psychosocial functioning\u0026rdquo; and its possible socio-demographic and school-related psychosocial conditions predictors\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"9\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSub variables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOdds ratio\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP-value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e95% Confidence Interval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"6\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLower\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUpper\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePossible socio-demographic predictors\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" morerows=\"1\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSchool type\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrivate school\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublic school\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.106\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.048\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.233\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" morerows=\"1\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFamily type\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePolygamous\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMonogamous\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.116\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.073\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.932\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.804\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" morerows=\"2\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAge-group\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLate adolescence\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEarly adolescence\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.755\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.115\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.781\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.717\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMid adolescence\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.998\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.997\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.342\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.914\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" morerows=\"1\" nameend=\"c2\" namest=\"c1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eClass\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSenior class\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJunior class\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.279\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.568\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.549\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.977\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePossible school-related psychosocial conditions predictors\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" morerows=\"1\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMy school reduces unnecessary stress on students.\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.981\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.958\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.474\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.029\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" morerows=\"1\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMy school provides a safe, stimulating, and welcoming environment for students.\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo `\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.779\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.590\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.314\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.933\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" morerows=\"1\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFree to walk up to my teachers when I have personal issues\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.114\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.776\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.530\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.341\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" morerows=\"1\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMy school promotes the rights both of boys and girls, giving them equal opportunities.\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.422\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.030\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.088\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.393\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" morerows=\"1\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMy school provides a fully inclusive environment with no discrimination\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.442\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.393\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.623\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.338\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" morerows=\"1\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eStudents are encouraged to participate in making decisions that concern them\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.860\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.742\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.351\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.107\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" morerows=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFeeling on arrival in school on most days\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSad/ Terribly sad\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHappy/ Joyful\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.070\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.026\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.192\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndifferent\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.344\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.053\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.116\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.016\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" morerows=\"1\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSchool social capital\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGood social capital\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoor social capital\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.220\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.137\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.776\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c9\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.353\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e shows the binary logistic regression model for psychosocial functioning on one hand and the possible socio-demographic characteristics and school psychosocial conditions predictors on the other hand.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith regards to Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, school type is one of the factors associated with psychosocial functioning while other variables were not. Respondents who attend public schools are about nine times less likely to have a dysfunctional psychosocial status than respondents who attend private schools (AOR- 0.106). Similarly, the variables \u0026ldquo;promotion of the rights of boys and girls through equal opportunities\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;feeling on arrival to school on most days\u0026rdquo; were predictive of psychosocial functioning while other variables were not. Respondents whose schools do not promote the rights of boys and girls are about two and a half times more likely to have a dysfunctional psychosocial status than respondents whose schools promote the rights of boys and girls. (AOR- 2.422).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConcerning the variable \u0026ldquo;feeling on arrival in school on most days\u0026rdquo;, respondents who feel happy/ joyful are 14 times less likely to have a dysfunctional psychosocial status than respondents who feel sad/ terribly sad when arriving at school on most days (AOR- 0.070).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study assessed the psychological health status of in-school adolescents in Osun State, southwest Nigeria and examined its relationships with socio-demographic factors and school psychosocial conditions. About one in ten adolescents had dysfunctional psychosocial status, which is lower than previous findings [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. This is likely due to methodological differences in settings and study respondents. For instance, Anyanwu et al. (2017) focused on adolescents who abuse substances, contributing to higher prevalence, while the other studies were conducted in Nepal, a different setting [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eApart from gender and parental marital status, all socio-demographic variables including type of school, class, age group, religion, family type, and parental education were significantly associated with psychosocial status. A significant association was found between school type and psychosocial status, with less than 3% of public-school adolescents having dysfunctional psychosocial status compared to over one-fifth in private schools. This may be due to private school adolescents receiving tender care, making them less resilient, unlike their public-school counterparts, who develop coping mechanisms from their lower socio-economic backgrounds [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. Thus, it is possible that adolescents in public schools who are usually from lower socio-economic backgrounds may have been toughened by their experiences over the years and can cope better in their social interactions with various peers from varying backgrounds.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMore adolescents in junior classes had dysfunctional psychosocial status than seniors, possibly due to maturity-related coping skills. This could be a result of the fact that senior-class adolescents are older and are more mature to better deal with home and school psychosocial stress compared to the younger junior-class adolescents [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]. Similarly, early adolescents had more dysfunction than middle and late adolescents, aligning with Abdul Latiff et al., Anyanwu et al., and Bista et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e] but contradicting Timalsina et al. (2018) who reported otherwise [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. This dysfunction in early adolescence could be due to neurodevelopmental factors since it coincides with puberty which is marked by hormonal changes and brain restructuring such as prefrontal cortex maturation lagging behind limbic system development. This imbalance increases emotional reactivity and impairs stress regulation, elevating dysfunction risk [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e], and Timalsina et al (2018) that reported higher dysfunction in late adolescents could be possibly due to prolonged exposure to academic pressures or socioeconomic burdens like family financial strain [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. Religion was significantly associated with psychosocial status, supporting Banstola [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e] but conflicting with Timalsina et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. This religious influence could be positive in terms of structured social support such as youth groups or religious mentorship, and religious practices have been found to foster a sense of control and reduce anxiety [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e]. However, adolescents in multi-faith settings may be psychologically stressed by doctrinal rigidities negating protective effects [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this study, family type was significant, with more adolescents from monogamous families having dysfunctional psychosocial status than those from polygamous families, which aligns with Banstola [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e] and Bista et al.[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e] but contradicting Timalsina et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. One might expect polygamous homes to have more dysfunction due to frequent conflicts, but resilience from diverse sibling interactions may explain the findings. Parental education level was significantly associated with adolescents\u0026rsquo; psychosocial status. Adolescents of less-educated parents had better psychosocial status, mirroring the school-type pattern. Bista et al. (2016) reported similar findings[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e], while Banstola (2017) and Timalsina et al. (2018) had mixed results as they reported no significant association between parental education level and the adolescents\u0026rsquo; psychosocial health status [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. This could be because less-educated parents may impose fewer academic expectations on their children, reducing stress and performance anxiety while highly educated parents often have higher aspirations, which can increase pressure on adolescents to excel, leading to anxiety, burnout, and psychosocial dysfunction [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eInterestingly, all school psychosocial conditions examined were significantly associated with psychosocial status. Adolescents from schools that reduce unnecessary stress had better psychosocial health, which is consistent with Banstola (2017) and Duchesne et al. (2012) where most psychosocial conditions were significantly associated with their respondents\u0026rsquo; psychosocial status [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e]. This is expected because schools that actively work to reduce unnecessary stress create environments that support adolescents' mental well-being. When academic pressures are balanced with appropriate support systems, students can focus on learning without the negative effects of chronic stress on their developing brains. This allows for healthier psychological development and better emotional regulation skills, directly contributing to improved psychosocial health outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFurthermore, the findings of the study revealed that a safe, stimulating, and welcoming environment positively influenced adolescents\u0026rsquo; psychosocial health, which aligns with Maltais et al. (2017) study, which affirmed the fact that students who negatively perceived their school environment tend to develop emotional problems [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. Similarly, adolescents who freely relate with teachers had better psychosocial status, supporting Vargas et al. (2019) and Maltais et al. (2017) findings, who reported that teachers\u0026rsquo; negative attitudes affect adolescents\u0026rsquo; mental well-being. In addition, schools that promote equal opportunities and non-discrimination were associated with better psychosocial well-being, as discrimination adversely affects mental health [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. This finding is not surprising too because when schools actively foster psychological safety, encourage supportive teacher-student relationships, and promote equality, they create conditions that satisfy fundamental psychological needs for belonging, competence, and autonomy [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e More of the adolescents who participate in decision-making, feel happy in school and have good school social capital had functional psychosocial status, as these are mental health-promoting factors. Adolescents with dysfunctional psychosocial status had significantly higher attention, internalizing, and externalizing problem scores, suggesting a risk of psychopathology such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, and oppositional defiant disorder. Female adolescents had higher mean scores in attention and internalizing problems, indicating a greater predisposition to depression and anxiety. This is affirmed in a previous study that found that girls reported significantly higher rates of internalizing problems and health issues compared to boys during adolescence [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study highlights the overlooked role of school conditions in adolescent psychosocial health. While personal and family factors are important, school environments significantly impact adolescents' psychosocial well-being and warrant greater attention.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eStudy Strengths and Limitations\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study provides insights into the psychosocial health of in-school adolescents in Osun State, Nigeria, identifying key socio-demographic, familial, and school-related factors associated with dysfunction. As one of the few studies examining these relationships in a Nigerian context, it offers valuable evidence for policymakers and educators to design targeted mental health interventions in schools. The use of a multi-stage sampling strategy across eight schools and the validated Paediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC-35) strengthens the reliability of the findings, while the inclusion of diverse predictors from family structure to school climate provides a comprehensive understanding of psychosocial risks in this population. However, while the study captures a representative sample of Osun State adolescents, its findings may not fully generalize to other regions of Nigeria or different cultural settings, where familial or educational dynamics could vary significantly.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study was conducted among 494 school-going adolescents in Osun state, south-west Nigeria. Findings of this study showed that about one out of ten adolescents had dysfunctional psychosocial status. Most of the socio-demographic factors explored were significantly associated with the adolescents\u0026rsquo; psychosocial status while all the school psychosocial conditions were significantly associated with the adolescents\u0026rsquo; psychosocial status. School type, gender equality in school, and being happy at school were the predictors of the adolescents\u0026rsquo; psychosocial status in this study. School-based programmes to safeguard and improve the mental well-being of school adolescents should be put in place in all secondary schools across the state.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthorship contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eO.A.G, T.W.A and A.T.P conceptualized the research. F.I.O, F.E.O, O.O.O and A.M.A participated in data collection and writing the methods. A.H.T and T.W.A analyzed and interpreted the data. O.A.G, A.T.P, A.K.A, F.I.O and T.W.A drafted the original manuscript. All the authors reviewed the manuscript and approved it for publication.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThis research did not receive any grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe data set supporting this study\u0026rsquo;s finding is freely available in Excel CSV format on Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15210286\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe authors acknowledge the authorities of the schools involved in the study as well as the office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Osun State.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDeclaration of interest:\u003c/strong\u003e No conflict of interest on the part of all authors.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent to Participate\u003c/strong\u003e: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study (and from their parents/guardians if under 16).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClinical Trial Number: N\u003c/strong\u003eot applicable\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent to Publish\u003c/strong\u003e: Not applicable\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUNICEF. Mental health: Ensuring mental health and well-being in an adolescent\u0026rsquo;s formative years can foster a better transition from childhood to adulthood [Internet]. Unicef web page. 2019 [cited 2022 Apr 13]. p. e. Available from: https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-health/mental-health/\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCortez R, Saadat S, Marinda E, Odutolu O. Adolescent Fertility and Sexual Health in Nigeria. Health, Nutrition, and Population Discussion Paper. Washington DC: World Bank CC BY 3.0 IGO.\u0026rdquo;; 2016. Available from: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/24041\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNas K, Cevik R, Batum S, Sarac AJ, Acar S, Kalkanli S. Immunologic and psychosocial status in chronic fatigue syndrome. Bratisl Lek Listy [Internet]. 2011;112:208\u0026ndash;12. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21585130\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTimalsina M, Kafle M, Timalsina R. Psychosocial Problems among School Going Adolescents in Nepal. Psychiatry J [Internet]. 2018;2018:1\u0026ndash;6. Available from: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/psychiatry/2018/4675096/\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBista B, Thapa P, Sapkota D, Singh SB, Pokharel PK. Psychosocial Problems among Adolescent Students: An Exploratory Study in the Central Region of Nepal. Front Public Heal [Internet]. 2016;4. Available from: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Article/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00158/abstract\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMuppidathi S, Boj J, Kunjithapatham M. Use of the pediatric symptom checklist to screen for behaviour problems in children. Int J Contemp Pediatr [Internet]. 2017;4:886. Available from: http://www.ijpediatrics.com/index.php/ijcp/article/view/486\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKekkonen VK, Kivimaki P, Valtonen H, Tolmunen T, Lehto SM, Hintikka J, et al. Psychosocial problems in adolescents associated with frequent health care use. Fam Pract [Internet]. 2015;32:305\u0026ndash;10. Available from: https://academic.oup.com/fampra/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/fampra/cmu090\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlAzzam M, Abuhammad S, Tawalbeh L, Dalky H. Prevalence and Correlates of Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidality Among High School Students: A National Study. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv [Internet]. 2021;59:43\u0026ndash;51. Available from: https://journals.healio.com/doi/10.3928/02793695-20210426-02\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBanstola RS. Psychosocial Problem among School-going Adolescents in Pokhara, Western Nepal. Janapriya J Interdiscip Stud. 2018;6:121\u0026ndash;33. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyanwu O, Ibekwe R, Ojinnaka N. Psychosocial dysfunction among adolescents who abuse substances in secondary schools in Abakaliki, Nigeria. Niger J Clin Pract [Internet]. 2017;20:665. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/1119-3077.208953\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbdul Latiff L, Tajik E, Ibrahim N, Bakar ASA, Shirin SSAA. Psychosocial problem and its associated factors among adolescents in the secondary schools in Pasir Gudang, Johor. Malaysian J Med Heal Sci. 2017;13:35\u0026ndash;44. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAmuyunzu-Nyamongo M. The social and cultural aspects of mental health in African societies. Commonw Heal Partnerships [Internet]. 2013;59\u0026ndash;63. Available from: http://www.commonwealthhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/The-social-and-cultural-aspects-of-mental-health-in-African-societies_CHP13.pdf\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAndrade BF, Browne DT, Tannock R. Prosocial skills may be necessary for better peer functioning in children with symptoms of disruptive behavior disorders. PeerJ [Internet]. 2014;2:e487. Available from: https://peerj.com/articles/487\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFamakinwa TT, Olagunju OE, Akinnawonu CI. A study of psychosocial challenges of public secondary school students in a semi-urban area of Southwest- Nigeria. J Community Med Prim Heal Care. 2016;28:59-64\u0026ndash;64. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePengpid S, Peltzer K. Prevalence and associated factors of loneliness among a national sample of in-school adolescents in Morocco. J Psychol Africa [Internet]. 2021;31:303\u0026ndash;9. Available from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14330237.2021.1928918\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGebremedhin H, Bifftu B, Lebessa MT, Weldeyes A, Gebru TT, Petrucka P. Prevalence and Associated Factors of Psychological Distress Among Secondary School Students in Mekelle City, Tigray Region, Ethiopia: Cross-Sectional Study. Psychol Res Behav Manag [Internet]. 2020;Volume 13:473\u0026ndash;80. Available from: https://www.dovepress.com/prevalence-and-associated-factors-of-psychological-distress-among-seco-peer-reviewed-article-PRBM\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMuzzolon SRB, Cat MNL, Santos LHC dos. Evaluation of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist as a screening tool for the identification of emotional and psychosocial problems. Rev Paul Pediatr [Internet]. 2013;31:359\u0026ndash;65. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext\u0026amp;pid=S0103-05822013000300359\u0026amp;lng=en\u0026amp;tlng=en\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSkarphedinsson G, Jarbin H, Andersson M, Ivarsson T. Diagnostic efficiency and validity of the DSM-oriented Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self-Report scales in a clinical sample of Swedish youth. Olino TM, editor. PLoS One [Internet]. 2021;16:e0254953. Available from: https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254953\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBergmann P, Lucke C, Nguyen T, Jellinek M, Murphy JM. Identification and Utility of a Short Form of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-Youth Self-Report (PSC-17-Y). Eur J Psychol Assess [Internet]. 2020;36:56\u0026ndash;64. Available from: https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/10.1027/1015-5759/a000486\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eButton B, Trites S, Janssen I. Relations between the school physical environment and school social capital with student physical activity levels. BMC Public Health [Internet]. 2013;13:1191. Available from: https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-13-1191\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSingh R, Mahato S, Singh B, Thapa J, Gartland D. Resilience In Nepalese Adolescents: Socio-Demographic Factors Associated With Low Resilience. J Multidiscip Healthc [Internet]. 2019;Volume 12:893\u0026ndash;902. Available from: https://www.dovepress.com/resilience-in-nepalese-adolescents-socio-demographic-factors-associate-peer-reviewed-article-JMDH\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGomez AMC, Calonia JL, Huera MD. Stress and coping strategies of senior high school students: basis for action plan. Sapienza. 2021;2:32\u0026ndash;8. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDennison CA, Shakeshaft A, Eyre O, Tilling K, Rice F, Thapar A. Investigating the neurodevelopmental correlates of early adolescent-onset emotional problems. J Affect Disord [Internet]. 2024;364:212\u0026ndash;20. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0165032724012230\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWilliam CS, Megan J W, Lindsay A N, Jeanette A S. Review of the Effect of Religion on Anxiety. Int J Depress Anxiety [Internet]. 2019;2. Available from: https://www.clinmedjournals.org/articles/ijda/international-journal-of-depression-and-anxiety-ijda-2-016.php?jid=ijda\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHardy SA, Nelson JM, Moore JP, King PE. Processes of Religious and Spiritual Influence in Adolescence: A Systematic Review of 30 Years of Research. J Res Adolesc [Internet]. 2019;29:254\u0026ndash;75. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jora.12486\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eXu T, Zuo F, Zheng K. Parental Educational Expectations, Academic Pressure, and Adolescent Mental Health: An Empirical Study Based on CEPS Survey Data. Int J Ment Health Promot [Internet]. 2024;26:93\u0026ndash;103. Available from: https://www.techscience.com/IJMHP/v26n2/55605\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDuchesne S, Ratelle CF, Roy A. Worries About Middle School Transition and Subsequent Adjustment. J Early Adolesc [Internet]. 2012;32:681\u0026ndash;710. Available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0272431611419506\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaltais C, Duchesne S, Ratelle CF, Feng B. Learning climate, academic competence, and anxiety during the transition to middle school: Parental attachment as a protective factor. Eur Rev Appl Psychol [Internet]. 2017;67:103\u0026ndash;12. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1162908817300154\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVargas B, Leiva L, Rojas-Andrade R, Scquicciarini AM. Effects of Psychosocial Adversity on School Maladjustment: A Follow-up of Primary School Students. Psicol Educ [Internet]. 2019;25:101\u0026ndash;8. Available from: https://journals.copmadrid.org/psed/art/psed2019a10\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJamnik MR, DiLalla LF. Health outcomes associated with internalizing problems in early childhood and adolescence. Front Psychol. 2019;10:1\u0026ndash;11.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Adolescents, Dysfunctional, Factors, Functional/ Functioning, Psychosocial, School","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6448199/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6448199/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdolescents commonly experience psychosocial problems which are further heightened by hostile home and school environments. This study was conducted to examine the factors associated with psychosocial dysfunction among high school adolescents in Osun state.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethod\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA descriptive cross-sectional study design involving 494 respondents drawn from eight high schools via a multistage sampling technique. Data was collected via a pre-tested facilitated self-administered questionnaire with which psychosocial status was determined using the Paediatric symptoms checklist. Data analysis was achieved through IBM SPSS version 20.0 and pertinent univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were done with a p-value\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05 taken as statistically significant.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA tenth (10.7%) of the respondents had dysfunctional psychosocial status. Age, religion family factors (family type, parental educational status) as well as several school factors, including those pertaining to psychosocial conditions at school were all significantly associated with psychosocial status. School type, \u0026ldquo;promotion of the rights of boys and girls through equal opportunities at schools\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;feeling on arrival to school on most days\u0026rdquo; were associated with psychosocial functioning with respondents in public schools nine times less likely to have a dysfunctional psychosocial status (AOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.106).\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA tenth of the adolescents had dysfunctional psychosocial status. School-related factors appear to be more significantly associated with psychosocial functioning than personal and home factors. Measures to improve the psychosocial conditions at school should be put in place by concerned stakeholders.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Topic: Factors Associated with Psychosocial Dysfunctions Among In-School Adolescents in Osun State, Nigeria","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-11 15:46:07","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6448199/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"b649a483-0b96-4270-bbe9-86c76f24a195","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 11th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-06-25T07:25:07+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-11 15:46:07","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6448199","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6448199","identity":"rs-6448199","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}