Impact of Sociodemographic Factors on Mental Health of School Children in Kashmir

Context: The mental health of children is very crucial for children because of its association with multiple issues in later life if not understood and handled properly at the right time. Aim: The present study was carried out to assess the distribution of psychological problems and the impact of sociodemographic factors, especially exposure to violence on the mental health of school children. Settings and Design: The study was done in the Kashmir Valley in different private and government schools using a cross-sectional design. Subjects and Methods: A sample of 1000 students of 5 th to 8 th grades was chosen from different schools of district Shopian, equally divided into male and female students. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and Sociodemographic Sheet were used to collect the data. Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive and multinomial regression were applied to analyze the data with the help of SPSS. Results: Result revealed the prevalence rate of 27% for mental health difficulties. It was also observed that domicile, family type, exposure to political violence and father’s primary level of education were found to be significant predictors/risk factors for the mental health issues. Conclusions: Hence, understanding of such factors can be helpful to a great extent, and there is an urgent need to devise preventive measures for such students.