Mental health problems among Indian youth and its correlates

Kirti Gaur, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Kunal Keshri, Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad

There are few studies which have explored mental health problems in India. This is the first and the largest study known conducted on a representative population of Indian youth to assess the prevalence and determine the correlates of reported mental health problems using GHQ-12. The study utilizes data from “Youth in India: Situation and Needs 2006-2007”. One-way ANOVA and Poisson regression models are used to fulfill the purpose of the study. An estimated 11 million and 31 million youth as per the higher and lower cut-offs respectively suffer from mental health problems in India. Results suggest that the household and individual factors like place of residence, wealth quintile, age, education and occupation are most important determinants of mental health problems among. Once individual factors are controlled, parental factors do not show a significant relationship with mental health problems. Results suggest a need to strengthen the existing policies and programmes.