Screening for Psychosocial Problems Using the PSC-35/Youth and Associated Factors among Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study at MTs Al-Washliyah 42 Sipispis, Serdang Bedagai, Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56338/mppki.v9i9.10606Keywords:
Psychosocial Problems, Adolescents, PSC-35/Youth, Associated Factors, School-Based ScreeningAbstract
Introduction: Psychosocial problems may contribute to depression among adolescents, yet many cases remain undetected. In the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey, 2.8% of individuals aged 15–24 years had mental health problems in the previous month. Peer pressure and school bullying may increase psychosocial stress and the risk of depression. Evidence on school-based screening using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) in North Sumatra is limited. This study aimed to screen adolescents for psychosocial problems using the PSC-35/Youth and identify associated factors at MTs Al-Washliyah 42 Sipispis, Serdang Bedagai, Indonesia.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 142 adolescents aged 12–15 years at MTs Al-Washliyah 42 Sipispis; all 142 were included in the analysis. Psychosocial problems were assessed using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-35/Youth (PSC-35/Y), an Indonesian translation reviewed by experts for linguistic appropriateness, item clarity, and semantic equivalence with the original instrument. The 35 items are rated as “never” (0), “sometimes” (1), or “often” (2), giving a total score of 0–70; a score ≥30 indicates a positive screen for psychosocial problems. Ethical approval was granted under approval number 4122/F/KEP/USM/IV/2026. Associations were examined using the chi-square test followed by multivariable logistic regression, with a 95% confidence level.
Results: Of the 142 adolescents, 65 (45.8%) screened positive for psychosocial problems. Bivariate analysis identified significant associations with family environment (p = 0.001), school environment (p = 0.023), peer relationships (p = 0.009), and academic achievement (p = 0.008). Multivariable analysis showed that adolescents with a positive family environment had lower odds of screening positive for psychosocial problems compared with those with a negative family environment as the reference category (OR = 0.093; 95% CI: 0.037–0.231; p = 0.001).
Conclusion: Psychosocial problems were common among the adolescents in this study. Family environment, school environment, peer relationships, and academic achievement were significantly associated with psychosocial problems in bivariate analyses; family environment remained significant in the multivariable model. These findings support strengthening family support systems and school-based psychosocial screening and support for adolescent mental health.
Downloads
References
Buchanan C, Romer D, Wray-Lake L, Butler-Barnes S. Editorial: Adolescent storm and stress: a 21st century evaluation. Front Psychol. 2023; 14:1257641. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1257641
Salmela-Aro K, Upadyaya K, Vinni-Laakso J, Hietajärvi L. Adolescents’ longitudinal school engagement and burnout before and during COVID-19: the role of socio-emotional skills. J Res Adolesc. 2021;31(3):796–807. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12654
Pandia V, Noviandhari A, Amelia I, Hidayat G, Fadlyana E, Dhamayanti M. Association of mental health problems and socio-demographic factors among adolescents in Indonesia. Glob Pediatr Health. 2021; 8:2333794X211042223. https://doi.org/10 Badan.1177/2333794X211042223
Kebijakan Pembangunan Kesehatan KKRI. Survei Kesehatan Indonesia 2023 dalam angka. Jakarta: Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia; 2024.
Fajarsari D, Purwanti S, Sari A. Hubungan lingkungan dan aktifitas akademik dengan tingkat stres pada remaja. Ensiklopedia J. 2023;5(2):230–5. https://doi.org/10.33559/eoj.v5i2.1503
Jellinek M, Murphy J, Little M, Pagano M, Comer D, Kelleher K. Use of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist to screen for psychosocial problems in pediatric primary care: a national feasibility study. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1999;153(3):254–60. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.153.3.254
Zhang J, Duan X, Yan Y, Tan Y, Wu T, Xie Y. Family functioning and adolescent mental health: the mediating role of bullying victimization and resilience. Behav Sci (Basel). 2024;14(8):664. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14080664
Tharaldsen K, Tvedt M, Caravita S, Bru E. Academic stress: links with emotional problems and motivational climate among upper secondary school students. Scand J Educ Res. 2023;67(7):1137–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2022.2116480
Sood A, Sharma D, Sharma M, Dey R. Prevalence and repercussions of stress and mental health issues on primary and middle school students: a bibliometric analysis. Front Psychiatry. 2024; 15:1369605. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1369605
Kazuo A, de Castro R, Nardi A, Quagliato L. Mental health screening in schools: prevalence, challenge and impact on the early identification of disorders in children and adolescents. J Bras Psiquiatr. 2025;74. https://doi.org/10.1590/0047-2085-2024-0064
Behere A, Basnet P, Campbell P. Effects of family structure on mental health of children: a preliminary study. Indian J Psychol Med. 2017;39(4):457–63. https://doi.org/10.4103/0253-7176.211767
Fadly D, Islawati. Tantangan bagi perkembangan psikososial anak dan remaja di era pendidikan modern: studi literatur. Venn J Sustain Innov Educ Math Nat Sci. 2024;3(2). https://doi.org/10.53696/venn.v3i2.156
Feghali R, El-Hachem C, Bakhos G, Zarzour M, Bou Khalil R. The impact of economic crisis on the mental health of children and adolescents: a systematic review. Asian J Psychiatr. 2025;110:104613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2025.104613
Niu Y, Guo X, Cai H, Luo L. The relation between family socioeconomic status and depressive symptoms among children and adolescents in mainland China: a meta-analysis. Front Public Health. 2024; 11:1292411. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1292411
Maurer J, Meyrose A, Kaman A, Mauz E, Ravens-Sieberer U, Reiss F. Socioeconomic status, protective factors, and mental health problems in transition from adolescence to emerging adulthood: results of the longitudinal BELLA study. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2025;56(3):649–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-023-01582-1
Zhou S, Zhang L, Wang L, Guo Z, Wang J, Chen J. Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of psychological health problems in Chinese adolescents during the outbreak of COVID-19. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2020;29(6):749–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-020-01541-4
Kim J, Kim D, Kamphaus R. Early detection of mental health through universal screening at schools. Ga Educ Res. 2022;19(1): Article 4. https://doi.org/10.20429/ger.2022.190104
Kuhn C, Aebi M, Jakobsen H, Banaschewski T, Poustka L, Grimmer Y. Effective mental health screening in adolescents: should we collect data from youth, parents or both? Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2017;48(3):385–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-016-0665-0
Lyu N, Xue Q, Li X, Yan S, Chen M, Hou H. The role of family environment and parental factors: a person-oriented study of adolescents’ psychological distress and help-seeking patterns. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2025;19(1):134. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-025-00986-2
Urbańska-Grosz J, Sitek E, Pakalska A, Pietraszczyk-Kędziora B, Skwarska K, Walkiewicz M. Family functioning, maternal depression, and adolescent cognitive flexibility and its associations with adolescent depression: a cross-sectional study. Children (Basel). 2024;11(1):131. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11010131
Larasati K, Marheni A. Hubungan antara komunikasi interpersonal orangtua-remaja dengan keterampilan sosial remaja. J Psikol Udayana. 2019;6(1):88–95. https://doi.org/10.24843/JPU.2019.v06.i01.p09
Vovchenko O. The influence of family upbringing on the formation of self-esteem of adolescents with developmental disabilities. Sci Bull Mukachevo State Univ Ser Pedagogy Psychol. 2021;7(4):9–19. https://doi.org/10.52534/msu-pp.7(4).2021.9-19
Amseke F, Daik M, Liu D. Dukungan sosial orang tua, konsep diri dan motivasi berprestasi mahasiswa di masa pandemi COVID-19. J Muara Ilmu Sos Humaniora Seni. 2021;5(1):241–50. https://doi.org/10.24912/jmishumsen.v5i1.9957.2021
Irfan R, Zahra S, Saleem S. Family environment and adolescent mental health: unpacking the mediating role of differentiation of self. J Prof Appl Psychol. 2025;6(4):524–35. https://doi.org/10.52053/jpap.v6i4.456
Psychogiou L, Navarro M, Orri M, Côté S, Ahun M. Childhood and adolescent depression symptoms and young adult mental health and psychosocial outcomes. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(8): e2425987. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.25987
Panagou C, MacBeth A. Deconstructing pathways to resilience: a systematic review of associations between psychosocial mechanisms and transdiagnostic adult mental health outcomes in the context of adverse childhood experiences. Clin Psychol Psychother. 2022;29(5):1626–54. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2732
Wang L, Yu Z. Gender-moderated effects of academic self-concept on achievement, motivation, performance, and self-efficacy: a systematic review. Front Psychol. 2023; 14:1136141. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1136141
Riaz H, Shah S, Tariq A. Impact of academic self-concept and self-regulated learning on academic achievement of students. Res J Soc Sci Econ Rev. 2022;3(2):18–26. https://doi.org/10.36902/rjsser-vol3-iss2-2022(18-26)
