Anxiety among urban, semi-urban and rural school adolescents in Dhaka, Bangladesh: Investigating prevalence and associated factors

Abstract

Background Anxiety disorder is one of the emerging public health problems in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Likewise, in Bangladesh, a growing number of adolescents are experiencing such symptoms though we have very limited research evidence available. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and the factors associated with this condition among urban, semi-urban, and rural school adolescents in Bangladesh. Methods This cross-sectional study used a two-stage cluster sampling procedure. A self-administered questionnaire was conveyed to 2355 adolescents from nine secondary schools of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Of the respondents, 2313 completed the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7). Besides, sociodemographic information, self-reported body image as well as modification of Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (LTEQ) and WHO Global PA Questionnaire (GPAQ) were used to determine the sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with anxiety among adolescents. Results A total of 20.1% of adolescents were experiencing moderate to severe anxiety; of them, a significantly higher proportion (49.9%) of female adolescents were suffering more than males (40.1%). Furthermore, age, student’s grade, father’s educational level, number of family members, and residential setting were found to be significantly associated with anxiety among adolescents. In terms of lifestyle factors, irregular physical activity (AOR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.05–1.63), high screen time (AOR: 1.51; 95% CI:1.21–1.88), sleep dissatisfaction (AOR: 3.79; 95% CI: 3.02–4.76), and underweight body image (AOR: 2.37; 95% CI:1.70–3.28) were found to be significantly associated with anxiety among school adolescents of urban, semi-urban, and rural residential settings. Conclusions Anxiety is prevalent among urban, semi-urban, and rural school adolescents in Dhaka, Bangladesh. To lessen this prevalence of anxiety among Bangladeshi adolescents, evidence-based health programs- healthy school trials—and policies should therefore be taken based on the findings of this study.

Stress symptoms and associated factors among adolescents in Dhaka, Bangladesh: findings from a cross-sectional study

“…In this study, about 40% of the adolescents were from the urban area, while almost 32% were from semi-urban and rural areas respectively [ 22 ]. Approximately 52% of the participants were female and the rest of them were male.…”

“…More than a third (32.2%) of the respondents were of 14 years of age and about two fifths (42.5%) of the participants were studying in class 9. Besides, a larger portion (51.1%) of the respondents reported to be the first child of their parents [ 22 ]. In case of parental characteristics, about 40% of the fathers completed graduation or above, while almost 30% of the mothers completed secondary/higher secondary level of education.…”

“…The fathers and mothers were mostly service holders (43.3%) and homemaker (81.5%) respectively. More than three fifths (62%) of the adolescents reported that they had 4 members or less than that in their families [ 22 ].…”

Internet addiction and mental health disorders in high school students in a Peruvian region: a cross-sectional study

“…It could also be overestimated due to the greater interest of the participants who presented the symptoms. Another limitation is that confounding variables were not evaluated, such as the level of stress, the level of satisfaction with family communication [ 107 ], the duration of sleep, study and the amount of homework assigned [ 108 ], the educational level of the parents and number of members in the household [ 109 ] and family dysfunction [ 110 ] variables that were associated with the development of these negative mental health symptoms.…”

Examining the Association between Sports Participation and Mental Health of Adolescents

“…Most research in sports participation and potential links with health and wellbeing are from Western or developed countries, with little representation of developing countries [ 21 ]. There is limited research in adolescent mental health in Bangladesh [ 19 , 22 ] and to date no studies have examined sports participation or whether participation in sports is associated with any health and wellbeing parameters of Bangladeshi young people. The aims of the present study were: (i) to examine the relationship between sports participation and mental health of Bangladeshi adolescents, and (ii) to explore sports preferences and barriers to sports participation of both boys and girls.…”