Authors

Raul Perez Zarate, Emory University, Rollins School of Public HealthFollow
Yi-Ting Hana Lee, Emory University, Rollins School of Public HealthFollow
Jean A. Welsh, Emory University, School of Medicine; Children’s Healthcare of AtlantaFollow
Julie A. Gazmararian, Emory University, Rollins School of Public HealthFollow

Anxiety and Depression and Associated Factors Among a Sample of Semi-Rural High School Students in Georgia

Abstract

Background: Anxiety and depression can affect adolescents’ health and current literature lacks studies of youths living in non-urban settings.

Methods: We used chi-square and t-tests on data collected from self-administered online surveys, completed by 9^th-grade students (n=222) attending a large, semi-rural public high school in the state of Georgia, to assess the prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression and associated factors.

Results: Almost half of the students self-reported anxiety (43%) or depression (55%) and students who self-reported either condition were more likely to report poorer sleep hygiene, sleepiness, race-related mistreatment, and higher stress.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that symptoms of anxiety and depression are prevalent among youths in semi-rural settings and further research is needed to understand the role of modifiable risk factors and identify effective interventions.

Keywords: adolescent mental health; adolescent sleep; anxiety; depression; semi-rural

First Page

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Last Page

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Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Perez Zarate, Raul; Lee, Yi-Ting Hana; Welsh, Jean A.; and Gazmararian, Julie A. (2023) "Anxiety and Depression and Associated Factors Among a Sample of Semi-Rural High School Students in Georgia," Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association: Vol. 9: No. 1, Article 2.
DOI: 10.20429/jgpha.2023.090102
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/jgpha/vol9/iss1/2