The Application And Effect Of Group Counseling Of Mental Health Skills On Adolescents

Objective: To understand the mental health status of at-risk adolescents receiving social service in Shanghai and related factors,and explore the effect and applicability of group counseling of mental health skills on at-risk adolescents.Our study can provide evidence and experience for mental health promotion in adolescents.Methods: This study included the cross-sectional survey and experimental intervention study.50 adolescent subjects were randomly selected from the 179 subjects and assigned to the randomized controlled experimental study.The effect of intervention was evaluated through the method integrated with quantitative and qualitative.The intervention group received group counseling of mental health skills for 6 times(once a week)and routine intervention by social workers,while the control group only received the latter.All subjects were assessed with quantitative questionnaires at baseline,3 weeks and 6 weeks later,including the General Situation,Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire,Mental Health Attitude Questionnaire,Social Problem Solving Attitude Questionnaire,Parent-Child Intimacy Scale,Family APGAR Index and Perceived Stress Scale.The quantitative data was input and analyzed by applying SPSS.Descriptive statistics,independent sample t-test,Mann-Whitney analysis,Spearman correlation analysis,Chi square test,Fisher exact test and multivariate regression were adopted.Qualitative research data was transcribed manually into text,and then classified and analyzed according to the topic of interview outline.The results of both quantitative and qualitative data were discussed together.Results: The frequency of drinking and smoking of at-risk adolescents in Shanghai were 20.1% and 31.3%,which were significantly higher than those of ordinary junior high school students(p<0.05);the detection rate for "abnormal and borderline " of total score of difficulty in Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was 21.8%,and at-risk adolescents were significantly higher than ordinary junior high school students in peer problem(p<0.05).Whether or not to access high-risk entertainment places(p<0.05),bad behaviors at school(p<0.05)and stress perception(p<0.01)were all significantly related with the total score of difficulty and drinking or smoking for adolescents,father-child relationship(p<0.05)and mother-child relationship(p<0.05),family APGAR index(p<0.01),plan making(p<0.01),interpersonal communication(p<0.01)and support seeking(p<0.05)were significantly related to the total score of difficulty.In regression analysis,stress perception(t=4.452,p<0.01),support seeking(t=-3.628,p<0.01)and the weekly allowance(t=-2.909,p<0.01)could significantly predict the total score of difficulty of adolescents,interpersonal communication(t=4.327,p<0.01)and Family APGAR Index(t=3.945,p<0.01)could significantly predict adolescent prosocial behaviors.Group counseling of mental health skills could significantly promote adolescent prosocial behavior(p<0.05)and improve their attitude toward mental health within 3 weeks under intervention(p<0.01);there was no significant influence on parent-child relationship and social problem solving ability.Adolescents had a positive attitude toward the group counseling of mental health skills in the qualitative interview,especially the content of stress management and parent-child interaction.Conclusion:(1)The problem of smoking and drinking among at-risk adolescents should be paid more attention;(2)their psychological health protection factors should be improved,such as interpersonal communication ability,support seeking ability,and parent-child relationship.(3)Group counseling for mental health skills can promote prosocial behavior of adolescents,and the program can be implemented with strong operability and wide application.