Ангажираност и натовареност в юношеска възраст като фактори, повлияващи психичното здраве
Involvement in different activities and workload in adolescence as factors influencing mental health

Summary/Abstract: Objective: The study is focused on the association between the degree of involvement in different activities and the mental health in adolescents. Methods: A national representative sample of 11-, 13- and 15-aged Bulgarian students was investigated as part of the international network “Health behavior in school-aged children”. Different aspects of mental health were studied with three different questionnaires - Mental health index, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and General Health Questionnaire. Binary logistic regression models were used to estimate the independent impact of different factors (school pressure, leisure time activities) on mental health and health related quality of life. Results: The analyses demonstrated that adolescents that were experiencing school pressure had greater chance to have different physical and psychosocial problems and to have borderline and risk scores (not optimal mental health) as assessed with all the three tests. Students that were rarely occupied with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity showed a greater chance for higher stress levels and coping problems. Too much computer and tablets use – more than 4 hours daily, was also inversely associated with the subjective well-being. Relevancy: The methods used are short, informative and widely used for assessment of different aspects of mental health in children and adolescents. Contributions: Being a part of the international network “Health behavior in school-aged children” this study gives not only the possibility for comparing Bulgarian adolescents to adolescents from all European countries, USA and Canada, but also allows the elaboration of new ideas for optimization of school pressure and improvement of mental health.

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