Mental Health Problems and Symptoms Among Male Adolescents Attending a Teen Health Clinic

The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency and nature of mental health problems and symptoms among a group of 51 inner-city male adolescents (aged 16-30 yrs) attending a teen health clinic at a large county hospital in the southwestern part of the US. They were administered a problem area checklist and a problem symptom checklist. The problem symptom checklist queried participants about anger, nervousness, depression, fear, loneliness, suicide, aggression, and self-esteem. The results indicate that these young males experienced significant mental health problems and symptoms. The authors recommend investigating ways to target young males who present at such clinics in order to address their mental health problems and symptoms, as well as studying how their environment affects their overall health. (15 refs)