Prevalence of Anxiety among secondary school students in Jos, Plateau state, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68050/JAMS.2026.577Keywords:
Adolescents, anxiety, prevalence, secondary school, JosAbstract
Background: Anxiety is a psychological disorder that usually affects adolescents’ and adults social and academic functioning. This study determined the pattern of anxiety among secondary school students in Jos, Nigeria.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 151 secondary school students aged 10 -19 years in Jos, Nigeria. They were chosen with the multistage sampling method and screened for anxiety with generalized anxiety disorder-7 according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition.
Results: The prevalence of anxiety in this study was 33.7% and about half of the early adolescents (10–13 years) had anxiety while about a quarter of middle adolescents (14–16 years) had anxiety. Anxiety was statistically significantly higher among early adolescents than middle and late adolescents (χ2 = 14.205, P = 0.013). More than half (53.1%) of the females had anxiety while a little above a quarter of the males had anxiety. The prevalence of anxiety was statistically significantly higher in females than males (χ2 = 9.782, P = 0.001).
Almost all adolescents with single parents had anxiety while only about a third of those whose parents were married had anxiety. The prevalence of anxiety was statistically significantly higher among adolescents with single parents (χ2 = 34.546, P = 0.001).
Conclusion: The prevalence of anxiety is high among school adolescents , more in female adolescents as well as those with single parents.
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