PREVALENCE OF ANXIETY AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PASIR GUDANG DISTRICT, JOHOR

ABSTRACT Background: Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental and emotional problems of adolescence, and may also result in behavioural problems. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of anxiety among secondary school students in an urban district in Malaysia. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 1486 Form1, 2 and 4 secondary school students from ten randomly selected schools in Pasir Gudang District, Johor. Result: A total of 1486 out of 2924 respondents were found to have anxiety, giving a prevalence of 50.8%. From the main socio-demographic factors studied age was found to be a predictor of anxiety among the adolescents in this study. Conclusion: The high risk group identified in this study (adolescents aged between 13 to 15 years old) should be given due attention and further in-depth qualitative studies should be conducted in these groups to correctly identify their needs and concerns. Keywords: Anxiety, Prevalence, Predictors, Adolescents, Urban-poor