Risk, compensatory, vulnerability, and protective factors influencing mental health in adolescence

The aim of the study, was to elucidate the relative contribution to and fun ction of general risk factors for mental disorders as well as compensatory, vulnerability, and protective factors in a general population sample of pr eadolescent and adolescent students. Data were collected in a representativ e sample of 1,110 (10 to 17 year-old) subjects of a school-based quota samp le in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. The factors under study were asses sed using questionnaires. The Youth Self Report (YSR) was used as an indica tor of emotional and behavioral abnormalities. Further questionnaires were concerned with life events, coping strategies, self-esteem, self-awareness, parental child-rearing behaviors, the school environment, and the social n etwork, General risk factors for both sexes included increased self-awarene ss, avoidance behavior, perceived rejection by the parents, competitive beh avior among classmates, and controlling behavior of the teachers. General c ompensatory factors included self-esteem and acceptance by the parents. Per formance stress served as a risk factor for internalizing disorders in both sexes; for externalizing disorders it was a risk factor in girls and a vul nerability factor in boys. Active coping and peer acceptance were protectiv e factors for internalizing disorders and peer acceptance was also a compen satory factor for externalizing disorders. In addition, some gender-specifi c interactions were identified.