Mental health of adolescents in selected cities of Punjab -A comparative analysis of boys and girls

'Mental Health' of adolescents in a nation has rightly been called the Mental Wealth of the nation. This investigation was carried out with a view to assess the mental health of adolescents in selected cities of Punjab. Such studies have been rare in this part of the country. The Analysis of Variance shows that the mean level of mental health was found to vary significantly with city of residence. Mental health was found to be higher in smaller cities while it was comparatively lower in larger cities. One encouraging finding of the present study was that no gender differences existed in mental health in an area which is known for its skewed sex ratio and discrimination against girls. Moreover, t- ratios also revealed that females were better adjusted, more autonomous and felt more secure than the males though males showed better status on emotional stability and intelligence in some cases. The gender differences revealed by this investigation can give the parents, teachers and social custodians of mental health of adolescents, a basis to understand and help improve the mental health of girls and boys in this region. While it is reassuring to know about the sizable percentage of adolescents falling in average to high mental health, yet it also probes us to awaken to the needs of the adolescents falling in the low mental health status.