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BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Research article

Prevalence and correlates of positive mental health in Chinese adolescents

Authors: Cheng Guo, Göran Tomson, Christina Keller, Fredrik Söderqvist

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2018

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Abstract

Background

Studies investigating the prevalence of positive mental health and its correlates are still scarce compared to the studies on mental disorders, although there is growing interest of assessing positive mental health in adolescents. So far, no other study examining the prevalence and determinants of positive mental health in Chinese adolescents has been found. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and correlates of positive mental health in Chinese adolescents.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used a questionnaire including Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) and items regarding multiple aspects of adolescent life. The sample involved a total of 5399 students from grade 8 and 10 in Weifang, China. Multivariate Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the associations between potential indicators regarding socio-economic situations, life style, social support and school life and positive mental health and calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

Results

More than half (57.4%) of the participants were diagnosed as flourishing. The correlated factors of positive mental health in regression models included gender, perceived family economy, the occurrence of sibling(s), satisfaction of self-appearance, physical activity, sleep quality, stress, social trust, desire to learn, support from teachers and parents as well as whether being bullied at school (OR ranging from 1.23 to 2.75). The Hosmer-Lemeshow p-value for the final regression model (0.45) indicated adequate model fit.

Conclusion

This study gives the first overview on prevalence and correlates of positive mental health in Chinese adolescents. The prevalence of positive mental health in Chinese adolescents is higher than reported in most of the previous studies also using MHC-SF. Our findings suggest that adolescents with advantageous socio-economic situations, life style, social support and school life are experiencing better positive mental health than others.
Footnotes
1
National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Regulations for the Ethical Review of Biomedical Research Involving Humans. 2016. http://​www.​nhfpc.​gov.​cn/​fzs/​s3576/​201610/​84b33b81d8e747ea​af048f68b174f829​.​shtml. Accessed January 22, 2018.
 
2
Utbildningsdepartementet. Lag om etikprövning av. forskning som avser människor. 2003:460. https://​www.​riksdagen.​se/​sv/​dokument-lagar/​dokument/​svensk-forfattningssaml​ing/​lag-2003460-om-etikprovning-av-forskning-som_​sfs-2003-460. Accessed January 25, 2018.
 
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Metadata
Title
Prevalence and correlates of positive mental health in Chinese adolescents
Authors
Cheng Guo
Göran Tomson
Christina Keller
Fredrik Söderqvist
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5133-2

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