Family-related factors and its impact on psychosocial health of school-going adolescents of Urban Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

Background: Psychosocial problems occur in a wide variety of settings, and they often have a negative impact on adolescents' mental health. The family environment influences the psychosocial development of adolescents in this transitional phase. This study was conducted to find the association between psychosocial problems and the family environment. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study for 6 months among school-going adolescents of urban Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. In this study, a self-administered questionnaire consisting of Youth-Pediatric Symptom Checklist and family-related factors was given to the students. The data were compiled and analyzed using appropriate statistical analysis. Results: A total of 400 adolescent students participated in the study. The prevalence of psychosocial problems was 40.7%. Psychosocial problems were significantly associated with family-related factors which were further divided into three subgroups. First, the family environment which includes problems in the family (61.8%), parents understanding each other (61.8%), and participants feeling happy at home (34.2%). The second subgroup was parent–child relationships such as parents pay attention (27.9%), understanding parents (30.3%), and parents unhappy with participant's academic performance (63.6%). The third subgroup was parenting style such as parents allow children to take their own decisions (23.4%), parents comparing their child with other children (63.6%), parents are strict (63.1%), getting pocket money (35.7%), and interfering parents (64.3%). There was no significant association found between getting pocket money and psychosocial problems. Conclusion: Family-related factors have a significant impact on adolescents' psychosocial health; thus, targeted interventions are required. It is of paramount importance to educate parents, community stakeholders, and schools regarding psychosocial problems in adolescents.