School connectedness and mental health among students grade 10th: Results from a survey of 8 high schools in Hanoi in 2020

Abstract

There has been an increasing trend in mental health issues among adolescents, which would affect their physical and mental health as an adult. Understanding the situation of such health problems and their protective factors is crucial to help inform evidence-based mental health interventions. Our study focused on describing the situation of stress, anxiety and depression, as well as their association with school connectedness, which was documented as a protective factor of mental health issues elsewhere, however, has still been under-report in Vietnam. This is a cross-sectional survey conducted in 8 high schools in Hanoi using anonymous self-administered questionnaires with 1,084 students grade 10th. Multinomial logistic regression was employed to control with confounders. Findings revealed that mental health issues among students were alarming. Besides, we also confrmed that school connectedness was a protective factor to help reduce the severity and co-existence of multiple mental health issues. Results pointed out a need for implementing measures to improve the mental health of students with a strong focus on enhancing school connectedness.