The main mental health problems of young people originate from poverty, violence and gender prejudice, reveals a study that interviewed adolescents in Brazil, India and Kenya. The survey was carried out by the non-governmental organization (NGO) Plan International, which advocates for children’s rights and equality for girls.
O study highlighted some of the reasons for concerns about the mental health of adolescents and possible solutions, in addition to the relationship between mental health and chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
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“The most relevant data from the research is that the external factors that affect the mental health and well-being of young people are significantly related to gender”, says the coordinator of the Healthy Adolescent Program at Plan International Brazil, Angélica Duarte.
“Young people of both sexes interviewed by the survey say that girls are particularly affected by low status in society, lack of autonomy and the risk of suffering gender-based violence. Pressure and expectations related to boys are also sources of suffering when they do not correspond to the expected standard of society”, he added.
The Adolescent Mental Health and Well-Being Study interviewed 67 adolescents in focus groups, 19 in Brazil, 25 in India and 23 in Kenya. Among young people between the ages of 10 and 19, 15 were selected to conduct in-depth interviews. The survey is part of the Healthy Adolescent Program, a global community investment initiative by AstraZeneca developed in partnership with Plan International.
Young people who responded to the survey said that the main factors that lead to emotional distress are external, caused by the environment in which they live. Among the stressors are poverty, physical and/or sexual violence and gender bias, which prevent girls from achieving their aspirations and boys from expressing emotions or seeking support.
Among girls, the restrictions faced by the lack of difficulty in managing the menstrual period, especially the lack of access to products for this cycle, also contribute to their feeling isolated and depressed.
“With boys, there is a demand to be ‘macho’. Since they are children, there is this requirement. Even though I was still a child and it was normal to have a thin voice, people said: ‘Pick up that voice, speak like a man! Be a man’. They encourage the boys like that. Boys cannot cry or express emotions. And it affects your adult life. I saw surveys that say that a large percentage of men have difficulty expressing their emotions”, says one of the Brazilians interviewed in the survey.
According to Angélica Duarte, despite the differences between countries, all respondents said that external issues such as poverty and gender-based violence have a strong impact on the mental health and well-being of young people. “Although violence and inequalities manifest themselves in different ways in each country and culture, these are external factors that play a significant role in the mental health of young people.”
Support
The survey also found that young people cannot achieve positive mental health without the support of important adults in their lives. The study highlights that young teens don’t feel they have the resources to deal with mental health issues on their own. Depending on the context, support comes from important people such as mothers, fathers and teachers, as well as community leaders.
One of the research participants lamented the lack of dialogue at home. “It is difficult. You may even feel like talking, but young people don’t want to talk. They say you’re a ‘sissy’ if you want to talk. I have no one to talk to, just a friend, who once stopped me from killing myself. I don’t talk to my parents a lot, because they don’t accept much. So, I don’t say anything, so we don’t fight”, says another participating boy.
“Many young people spoke about the lack of trusted adults to share problems with, noting that many are unable to listen without resorting to judgment or violence,” emphasizes the coordinator of the Healthy Teenager Program.
“Parents and guardians play a fundamental role in creating a safe environment for young people to express feelings, problems and concerns without feeling judged or threatened. Families can also seek support from health services and guide the young people themselves to use these resources, but establishing a space for dialogue and family acceptance is equally important in promoting the well-being of young people”, says Angélica.
Alcohol and drugs
The research reveals that risk behaviors for CNCDs, such as smoking, excessive alcohol use, sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet, are strategies to control stress, anxiety, depression, dissatisfaction and boredom. For the teens who responded to the survey, such behaviors lead to an emotional downward spiral that is difficult to get out of. “They do it to divert the sadness to other things. They think it will help”, said one of the participants.
Gender norms also impact the mental health of teenagers, the research found. In practice, girls have less freedom to do what they want and boys do not share their feelings or seek help from other young people, relatives and professionals. There is also the fear that a weakness shared with others could be used as a weapon against them.
“The study showed that adolescents in Brazil classify positive mental health as the feeling of ‘feeling light’ and poor mental health as the moments ‘when the person is not feeling balanced or when they cannot deal with problems of life’. Thus, they recognize that people have different problems and the way they deal with them will bring them a better or worse quality of life”, says Angélica.
Healthy Teenager
To address the mental health and general health of young people, since 2010, the Healthy Teenager Program has already trained more than a thousand peer educators in Brazil, disseminating health information on the prevention of CNCDs and risk factors.
Trained peer educators multiplied their knowledge to more than 130,000 young people with health information, contributing to sustainable behavioral changes. The program also reached more than 4 million young people through content on social networks and awareness campaigns.
The Healthy Adolescent Program (called PAS in Brazil and YHP in the rest of the world) is a global community investment initiative developed in urban settings with a focus on young people aged 10 to 24 years in the prevention of the most common NCDs: cancer, diabetes, cardiac and respiratory and mental health.
Run in partnership by Plan International and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) based on research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the program combines local action, research and advocacy targeting risk factors such as smoking , harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets and exposure to air pollution, which can lead to NCDs in adult life.
Since 2010, Plan International has implemented PAS in Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Kenya, United Kingdom, Thailand, Vietnam and Zambia.
Recommendations
Based on the problems mentioned, the research by Plan International Brazil tells what young people need to do to improve their mental health:
. Seek and receive the necessary support, without stigma and without shame. Emotional problems are common and very debilitating.
· Promote open discussions about mental health and well-being in families, schools, religious institutions and other places where young people gather.
· Access to support services, which need to include a wide range of services such as family planning or acne treatment.
· Providing young people with healthy ways to deal with stress, such as zumba, so that they can exercise more, have fun and escape boredom and sadness, says one of the study participants.
· Recognize that adolescence and growing up are very stressful times for young people.
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