‘Too many BeEPs in our teens!’ Behavioral and emotional problems in a large group of Italian adolescents

Abstract

Background One in six adolescents suffers from mental health problems. Despite the presence of general information on Italian adolescents' mental health, researches conducted with standardized assessment tools are scarce in the literature. We evaluated the prevalence of self-reported behavioral and emotional problems in a group of Italian adolescents and examined their relation to socio-demographical variables. Methods This population-based sampling survey was conducted on high school students aged 14–18 from urban areas of Rome and Latina. Participants completed Youth Self-Report (YSR) and a socio-demographic schedule to collect information on age, gender, type of school attended, socio-economic status, urbanicity. Results Final sample consisted of 1400 adolescents (38.61% male, mean age 16 years, s.d. 1.42). Prevalence of Internalizing Problems, Externalizing Problems and Total Problems was 29.55%, 18.34% and 24.13%. In our multivariable model, Internalizing Symptoms were not explained by sociodemographic variables while Externalizing Symptoms were explained by Male Gender [OR = 1.53 (1.14–2.06)], older age [OR = 2.06 (1.52–2.79)] and attending a Technical and Professional Institute [OR = 2.15 (1.53–3.02)], with an adjusted R2 = 4.32%. Total Problems were explained by School Type [Technical and Professional Institutes and Art and Humanities v. Grammar and Science School; OR respectively 1.93 (1.40–2.67) and 1.64 (1.08–2.47)], adjusted R2 = 1.94. Conclusions The study provides, for the first time, evidence of a great prevalence of self-reported behavioral and emotional problems in a large sample of Italian adolescents, highlighting the role of different socio-demographic variables as risk factors for externalizing behaviors. Our results emphasize the urgent need for implementing prevention programs on mental health in adolescence.

Daring and Distress: Insights on Adolescent Risk Taking and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation from a Network Analysis Perspective

“…Because thought problems were the second most important bridge to SH, preventive interventions should be oriented to adolescents who may experience temporary difficulties in distinguishing reality from fantasy and exhibit disorganized thoughts. Thought problems are not uncommon in community adolescents, with a prevalence of up to 7-8% among those aged 13 to 18 years [62], and-in our studythought problems were uniquely associated with SH and other risk-taking behaviors. Given the relatively high prevalence, our findings emphasize the importance of addressing maladaptive beliefs related to emotion regulation, particularly among adolescents who are more prone to experiencing psychotic-like experiences.…”

Deliberative and Affective Risky Decisions in Teenagers: Different Associations with Maladaptive Psychological Functioning and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation?

“…Although thought problems refer to strange perceptions, odd beliefs, and unusual behaviors, often associated with the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, psychotic-like experiences appear in several mental disorders [ 54 ] and are not uncommon in adolescents (e.g., up to 7.5% of adolescents between 13 and 18 years of age) [ 55 ]. Similarly, a recent Italian study estimated the prevalence of YSR Thought Problems to be approximately 6% in a large community sample [ 56 ], while another study showed the high diffusion of psychotic-like experiences in the Italian high-school population [ 57 ]. Considering the epidemiological data, our results suggest that adolescents with typical development may have transient difficulties with reality testing and disorganized thoughts, make errors in judgment, overlook probabilities and outcome information, and ultimately exhibit a high propensity for risk.…”