Distribution of psychiatric symptoms among young Turkish males and the relationship between these symptoms and socio-demographic characteristics

Objective: Youth is a period during which individuals undergo rapid physical and psychological changes in their transition from childhood to adulthood. This study aimed to determine the psychological problems of young males from different socio-cultural backgrounds living in different cities of Turkey and to examine the socio-cultural factors possibly associated with these problems.

Methods: The study was conducted in six different cities in Turkey with the participation of 3655 young male adults. Participants were administered a questionnaire to collect socio-demographic data such as age, marital status, educational background, the history of smoking and alcohol use, income level, occupation, place of residence and the history of chronic disease and allergies. Psychological symptoms were detected via the Symptom Check List (SCL-90 R). The study data were transferred to the SPSS-15 database for statistical analysis.

Results: The median age of the participants was 20.49±1.48years (20-29 age range, median age=20). Based on the SCL-90 R scores, the mean General Symptom Index (GSI) score of the study participants was found to be 0.44±0.27 (0.00-2.61). 13.5% of the participants (n=493) were recorded to have above-the-average GSI scores (≥1.0). Occupation, smoking and alcohol use were found to effect depression. Factors effecting anxiety were occupation, smoking, alcohol use and place of residence.

Conclusion: Psychological symptoms that young people suffer from can be diagnosed at early stages and the psychological problems that are triggered by these symptoms can be prevented with the help of such questionnaires. These questionnaires can easily be administered in primary care settings.