The prevalence of risk for mental health problems among high school students in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

The aim of this article is to describe the prevalence of risk for developing mental health problems in a large survey of high school students in the Western Cape Province in South Africa. The study population comprised students in Grades 8, 9, and 10 attending public schools in the Western Cape Province. Schools were randomly sampled proportional to total school size (all grades). A total of 227 schools and a total of 20,855 students completed the survey. Overall, 14.9% of students were categorised as 'high risk' for mental health problems. A significantly higher proportion of female participants were in the 'high-risk' category (18.5%; confidence interval = [17.2, 19.8]) than male participants (10.1%; confidence interval = [9.3, 10.8]). Female students who reported more days absent from school in the previous school quarter were more likely to be in the 'high-risk' category for mental health problems. Findings highlight the need for screening for mental health problems among adolescents attending high school in South Africa, and the need to develop intervention programmes for students at risk of mental health problems.