EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, ANXIETY AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS IN ADOLESCENCE
EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, ANXIETY AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS IN ADOLESCENCE

Summary/Abstract: Provenance and socioeconomic status have a large impact over the mental health in adolescence. The aim of this research is to identify significant differences in anxiety and emotional distress between adolescents with high socioeconomic status and low socioeconomic status. Previous research highlighted that low socioeconomic status is related to mental illness, stereotypes, low self-esteem, poor school-based social status, a feeling of hopelessness and high levels of anxiety and depression. A sample of 360 adolescents was assessed with Emotional Distress Profile (PDE), Endler’s Anxiety Scales (EMAS-T) and a Socioeconomic status screening, made by the author. Results show, on one hand, that adolescents with low socioeconomic status have higher levels of both anxiety and emotional distress, and on the other hand, that anxiety strongly correlates with emotional distress. Practical implications of this research regard the self-assessment in adolescence, the better understanding of the role of socioeconomic status in one’s subjective assessment of social rank, the importance of this assessment dimension in the development of autonomy and self-esteem, and the importance of these results for the development of effective interventions to improve the adolescent’s mental health.

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