Mental health in adolescents in Peruvian educational institutions: Depression, anxiety, and stress during the pandemic; [Salud mental en adolescentes de instituciones educativas peruanas: Depresión, ansiedad y estrés en tiempos de pandemia]

Abstract

The emotional well-being of adolescents in Peruvian educational institutions has been severely affected by the pandemic. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of stress and anxiety on the depression of high school students in public institutions in Peru during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study design was non-experimental, explanatory level, with a quantitative approach. The Lovibond and Lovibond (1995) depression, anxiety, and stress scale was used. The sample consisted of 951 high school students aged 13 to 18 years (M = 14.86, SD = 1.364, and 61.2% female) from second to fifth year of high school, selected using non-probability sampling. As a result of the descriptive analysis, 30.4% of high school students presented severe depression symptoms, 24.1% severe anxiety symptoms, and 26.7% severe stress symptoms. The predictive efficacy of the anxiety and stress variables in depression was demonstrated at 71.2%, according to the model fit. The study concludes that the anxiety and stress variables influence depression, with a p-value of 0.000 and <0.05. © (2025), (Universidad del Zulia). All rights reserved.