Self-reports of emotional distress in a sample of urban black high school students

Abstract

SynopsisEmotional distress as assessed by the self-report Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL) was examined in a sample of 607 urban black high school students aged 15–18. These adolescents reported high distress primarily about feelings of disadvantage, volatile anger, interpersonal sensitivity and loneliness. Females were significantly more likely than males to indicate emotional distress, although several of the leading distress items were endorsed equally by both groups. Male and female scores across the HSCL factors differed in degree rather than form. The great majority of these adolescents didnotreport significant emotional distress. These data provide a base from a non-clinical sample for comparison with other adolescent groups where emotional distress may play a role.

Sex and Age Differences in Self-Reported Distress Among Affluent Adolescents in an Educational Counselling Setting in the United States

“…27(5) (3) to document any sex and age differences in critical items. Consistent with general findings from other studies (Freeman et al, 1982;Kurdek, 1987), considerable overlap existed for male and female adolescents with regard to their most frequently reported problems, with boys and girls reporting seven common endorsements. Of particular interest with regard to these endorsements was the prominence of items related to depression, achievement and compulsivity.…”