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A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess Mental Health Awareness among Adolescents
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Anjali P. Kumar, Manoj .P Jadhav, PhD
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Acton-Boxborough middle and high schools and CRC Pharma
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Acton-Boxborough middle and high schools in Massachusetts, USA,and CRC Pharma, 333 Littleton Road, Suite # 302, Parsippany, New Jersey, USA
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18kumara@abschools.org
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Suicide is among the top three leading causes of death in adolescents, and the rate of suicide-related deaths is on the rise. A systematic approach to address this challenge is warranted. This study aimed to assess how many students had awareness of or have had mental health issues, or knew someone who struggled with mental health. A cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted at Acton-Boxborough middle and high schools in Massachusetts, USA. An electronic, self-administered survey with a total of 13 questions, including closed- and open-ended questions, was developed to collect feedback from students, teachers, counselors, and staff members. The survey was conducted between October 20 and November 13, 2016. The survey was posted on Facebook and was accessible to anyone with a Google email account linked to Acton-Boxborough schools. In this three–week survey, 623 completed responses were returned. The most frequent responders were middle school and younger students (n = 356; 57.1%), followed by high school students (n = 213; 34.2%), and college students (n = 39; 6.2%). A high number of participants (99%) considered mental health to be an important topic of discussion.
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