Comparative Assessment of Mental Health Among Rural and Urban School Children in Haryana Using the General Health Questionnaire (Ghq-12)

Background: Mental health disorders affect approximately 10–20% of children and adolescents globally and often persist into adulthood, adversely affecting physical health, social functioning, and productivity. The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) is a validated, widely used screening instrument for assessing psychological well-being across diverse populations and cultural contexts. Methods: A controlled comparative observational study was conducted among 2,000 school-going children aged 5–12 years (1,000 rural; 1,000 urban) across selected government and private schools in Haryana, India. Participants were categorized into four age groups (Group I: 5–6 years; Group II: 7–8 years; Group III: 9–10 years; Group IV: 11–12 years). The GHQ-12 was administered using a four-point Likert-type scale. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess differences across age groups, gender, and residential setting, with a p-value of <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The majority of participants scored within the "Good" (n=1,154; 57.7%) and "Average" (n=785; 39.3%) categories. Severe psychological distress ("Poor" category) was rare (n=9; 0.45%). Female participants, particularly those from urban areas, demonstrated higher GHQ-12 scores across multiple items. No statistically significant differences were found between rural and urban children or between genders (p >0.05). Conclusion: The GHQ-12 proved to be a reliable and practical screening instrument for large-scale mental health assessment in school settings. Although severe distress was uncommon, the findings highlight the need for context-sensitive, school-based mental health interventions for both rural and urban child populations.