Gender Differences in Mental Health among Adolescent Students

Abstract

An essential part of overall health is mental health, which includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. This study investigates the impact of gender on mental health and its various dimensions among adolescent students. A sample of 120 students (60 male and 60 female) were selected by Random Sampling from different schools of Jamshedpur (Jharkhand). Mental Health Battery developed by Singh and Gupta (2000) was applied for the study. Data were examined using t-tests to compare mean scores between genders. The results revealed that female adolescents have significantly better mental health as compared to male adolescent students. The female adolescents significantly scored higher in Emotional Stability, Autonomy, Security-Insecurity, and Intelligence. No significant differences were found in Overall Adjustment and Self-Concept between genders.  These findings emphasize how crucial it is to take gender into account when addressing the mental health and developmental needs of adolescents. Recognizing these variations may be helpful in designing interventions and support structures to more effectively appeal to the different necessities of male and female adolescents.