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Abstract
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Aims: The research aim is to analyze the association between adolescents' psycho-emotional difficulties and demographic data, friendship experiences, and school environment. Methods: The study was conducted in Lithuania in 2023 to survey students in grades 7 to 10. The adolescents filled out a questionnaire about demographic data, experiences with friendship, school environment, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Results: The study included 4124 students, with females comprising 49.1%, mean age of 14.48 ± 1.15. 39.9% of the interviewed students were from large cities (population > 100.000), and 83.3% of students lived with both parents. 20.7% of adolescents feel lonely all or almost all of the time, 14.8% have ≤ 1 close friend, 74.2% have not been bullied, 11.9% feel unsafe in school, and 28.3% think their teachers do not care about them. All surveyed adolescents' mean SDQ total difficulties score (SDQ TDS) was 13.73 ± 5.73, internalizing score (IS) - 6.44 ± 3.62, and externalizing score (ES) - 7.29 ± 3.26. Female students reported a higher SDQ TDS (14.93 ± 5.76) than male students (12.45 ± 5.39), p < 0.001. Regression analysis indicated that loneliness was the most important factor linked to higher SDQ TDS and SDQ IS (β = 0.314; β = 0.345), and feeling of teacher care was linked to higher SDQ ES (β = 0.166). Conclusions: The study indicated that psycho-emotional difficulties were more significant among Lithuanian female students. Students' worsening psych-emotional state was most associated with loneliness and a feeling that their teachers did not care about them.
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