%0 Journal Article
%T Four-year trajectory of Korean youth mental health and impacts of school environment and school counselling: a observational study using national schools database
%A Dayoung Lee
%A Hyun Ju Hong
%A Seongjun Park
%A Song Jung
%J -
%D 2019
%R 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027578
%X Objectives This study aimed to investigate changes in the mental health status of South Korean adolescents at a school level and identify school-related factors affecting these changes.

Design A retrospective data analysis, population study.

Setting South Korean high schools from 2013 to 2016.

Participants Randomly sampled 827 schools (316£¿834 boys and 299£¿304 girls)

Primary outcome measures Mean scores of the Adolescent Mental Health and Problem Behavior Questionnaire-II (AMPQ-II), a school-based mental health screening test, were used to explore changes in youth mental health. Data regarding the school environment and school counselling were gathered from the ¡®School info¡¯ website. A multilevel growth model was used to determine relationships between students¡¯ mental health and school-related factors.

Results Students¡¯ mental health statuses in South Korea gradually improved over time (coefficient=£¿1.46£¿to £¿1.70, p<0.001). School mobility rates (coefficient=0.93£¿to 1.00, p<0.05), school dropout rates (coefficient=0.38£¿to 0.40, p<0.001), school budgets per student (coefficient=£¿0.05£¿to £¿0.06, p<0.01) and number of school counselling sessions (coefficient=0.14, p<0.01) were significantly associated with baseline AMPQ-II scores. The rate of change in AMPQ-II score increased when the number of school counselling sessions was higher (coefficient=£¿0.03, p<0.05) or the school budget was lower (coefficient=0.02, p<0.001). School environment explained 21.6% of the AMPQ-II baseline score variance and 9.3% of the rate of change variance. School counselling further explained 2.0% of the variance in baseline AMPQ-II scores and 2.3% of the rate of change variance.

Conclusions This study suggests that school environment stability and active provision of school-based mental health services have a positive impact on youth mental health
%U https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/11/e027578