SLEEP PROBLEMS IN MACAU CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: ASSOCIATION WITH BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

ABSTRACT

SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS FACE SEVERAL PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS FREQUENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES ON BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL PROBLEMS. THEIR LEVEL OF MENTAL RESILIENCE MAY AFFECT THEIR RESPONSES TO ACADEMIC OR INTERPERSONAL ISSUES AND COPING WITH CHALLENGES, WHICH IN TURN AFFECTS THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. THIS STUDY AIMS TO CHARACTERIZE THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND RESILIENCE OF SECONDARY STUDENTS AND TO ANALYZE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND RESILIENCE IN A SAMPLE OF 80 GIRLS AGED 12–18 WAS SELECTED BY CLUSTER SAMPLING FROM ONE PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOL WITH SIX GRADES IN MACAO. IN THIS STUDY, WE USED THE ACHENBACH SYSTEM OF EMPIRICALLY BASED ASSESSMENT (ASEBA) TO ASSESS BEHAVIORAL AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS AND THE RESILIENCE SCALE FOR CHINESE ADOLESCENTS TO ASSESS RESILIENCE. A TOTAL OF 78 VALID QUESTIONNAIRES WERE OBTAINED FOR CBCL, 78 FOR TRF, 80 FOR YSR, AND 77 FOR RESILIENCE SCALE AND DATA WERE ANALYZED BY USING SPSS. THE RESULTS REVEAL THAT CLINICAL PREVALENCE OF TOTAL PROBLEMS (YSR, 27.5% > CBCL, 19.2% > TRF, 15.4%) AND INTERNALIZING PROBLEMS (YSR, 22.5% > CBCL, 17.9% > TRF, 11.5%) FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ADOLESCENTS WAS HIGHER THAN THAT FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS. SENIOR STUDENTS EXHIBITED HIGHER FREQUENCY ON THE BORDERLINE CLINICAL RANGE THAN JUNIOR STUDENTS. (Χ2(2, N=80) =14.56, P<.001). THE AVERAGE SCORE OF RESILIENCE IS 3.24±0.51, WHICH IS ABOVE THE MIDDLE LEVEL. REGARDING THE YSR SCALE AND RESILIENCE SCALE, WE FOUND THAT THE SCORE OF AFFECT CONTROL IS SIGNIFICANTLY NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH THE SCORE OF INTERNALIZING PROBLEMS (R = -.354, P<.01). FAMILY SUPPORT IS ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH THE SCORE OF INTERNALIZING PROBLEMS (R = -.302, P<.01). GOOD AFFECT CONTROL AND FAMILY SUPPORT CAN REDUCE VARIOUS EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS. THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY FOUND THE RESILIENCE LEVEL CAN NEGATIVELY AFFECT INTERNALIZING PROBLEM BEHAVIORS AND EXTERNALIZING PROBLEM BEHAVIORS. THE RESULTS ARE PROMISING AND CAN GIVE CLUES FOR PREVENTING AND PROMOTING MEASURES REGARDING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES TO BOTH FAMILY AND SCHOOL EDUCATION CONTEXTS, AS CREATING A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY OF IMPROVING ADOLESCENTS’ MENTAL RESILIENCE QUALITY