Psychological Distress Among Underrepresented Adolescents

Abstract

This study examines the comprehensive set of data provided by the California Health Interview Survey and the responses provided by the adolescent population to experiencing psychological distress and expressing the need for help for mental health problems. Both dependent variables were analyzed across gender and race identity. The sample contained 143 responses, with 44.2% of the responses identified as male and 47.1% as female. The age range for the respondents is 12 to 17 years old. Non-Latino replies accounted for 67.6% of the total, while Latino responses accounted for 32.3 percent. Female adolescents were more likely than male adolescents to report experiencing psychological stress and seeking help for mental and emotional health problems. No significant difference was found with adolescents who identify in Latino and non-Latino categories and their response to the following question: “In the past 12 months did you think you needed help for emotional or mental health problems, such as feeling sad, anxious, or nervous?” or experiencing psychological distress.