This study analyzes tendency of depression experienced by middle school students and the relationship between the depression and physical symptoms, parents' fostering attitude, and adaptability in school.
For the study, two mixed middle schools in Se...
This study analyzes tendency of depression experienced by middle school students and the relationship between the depression and physical symptoms, parents' fostering attitude, and adaptability in school.
For the study, two mixed middle schools in Seoul were selected in August 2006. A self-report survey was conducted against students of all grades. 605 out of the total respondents with sincere response were used for the analysis.
In order to recognize tendency of depression, the study adapts the Depression Scale for epidemiologic studies that the NIMH developed for an epidemiologic study on depression against a general population group. The standard of the scale is 21 points, and the respondents are divided into a depression and non-depression group.
For measuring physical symptoms, the Adolescent Symptom Checklist(ASC) by Thomas is used, while Parental Bonding Instruments (PBI) by Parker is adopted to know parents' fostering attitude. For school adaptability, the School-related Adjustment Scale by Yong Rae Kim is used in the study. With SPSSWIN v. 12.0 program, the analysis is conducted to know general features of respondents by frequency and percentile and the relationship among physical symptoms, parent-student bonding, and school adaptability through t-test, chi-square test. Meanwhile, the coherent consistency test of the measurement instruments used in the survey is analyzed by Cronbach's alpha.
The depression group was 137(22.6%) out of 605 respondents of the survey. Tendency of depression by sex has no significant difference in statistics. As a student advances to a higher grade, he is likely to have depression more than before according to the general features by depression; however, it was not statistically significant. In terms of living with parents, those living with single parent are likely to be more depressed than those living with both parents; however, this is also not statistically significant. In the perspective of subjective economic situation, those who evaluate their economic situation as middle-lower class show higher tendency of depression. And, the tendency was also high in students having a father taken no more than middle school education. A significant difference is statistically shown in father's vocation rather than mother's (p<.05).
In the relationship between tendency of depression and physical symptoms, male students appeal more physical symptoms than female students. The depression group has a higher score in each physical symptom item than the non-depression group with statistical significance (p.<.05). Mainly the symptoms include 'very irritated (3.18± 1.01)', 'difficult to get up in the morning (2.90± 1.32)', 'dizzy (2.74± 1.38)', 'less energy (2.71± 1.24), 'headache (2.52± 1.30)', 'difficult to sleep at night (2.15± 1.53)', 'back pain (2.09± 1.43)', 'anxious (2.05± 1.46)', 'lost appetite (1.99± 1.44)', 'cry often (1.93± 1.46), etc. This is statistically significant(p<.001).
In terms of the relationship with parents' fostering attitude, the depression group has lower score in mother' or father' care, which shows a statistical significance (p<.05). In the relationship with mother's or father's over-protection, the depression group has lower score than the other, but no statistical significance.
With respect to school adaptability and tendency of depression, the depression group (2.08± 0.43) has lower adaptability than the non-depression group(2.38± 0.45) with statistical significance (p<.001). In the lower displacement of school adaptability by depression, the depression group has lower scores in factors like adaptability in school life, environment, friends and class; which shows a statistical significance (p<.001).
Even middle school students can show tendency of depression like adults. The higher the tendency is, the more their physical symptoms are appealed. In the parents' fostering attitude, the depressed students seem to have less care from their parents. Their adaptability in school is also lower than the other group.
Adolescent depression is not just an individual problem, but related to home and school environment. Thus, teachers at school or parents at home should understand, rather than ignore, physical symptoms or lower adaptability in school of a student and pay appropriate attention and cares. Also, a systematic management is required where home, schools and communities are connected one another to pay continuous attention on and take care of psychological health of adolescence.