Analysis of Mental Health Risk Factors Among Adolescents in the Digital Era and Their Implications for Public Health Policy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65739/archipel.v1i7.40Keywords:
Adolescent Mental Health, Digital Era, Public Health Policy, Risk Factors, Social DeterminantsAbstract
Adolescent mental health has become an increasing global concern in the digital era, characterized by rising levels of depression, anxiety, and stress influenced by complex biopsychosocial and digital factors. This study aims to analyze the prevalence of adolescent mental health problems, identify key risk factors, and examine their implications for public health policy. A quantitative approach with an explanatory design was employed, involving adolescents as research participants. Data were collected through structured questionnaires measuring mental health conditions, digital risk factors, and social-environmental variables. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis to determine the influence of each factor on mental health outcomes. The results indicate that adolescent mental health conditions are in the moderate to high category, with digital risk factors such as screen time, social comparison, and cyberbullying having the strongest influence. Social and environmental factors, including peer pressure and socioeconomic stress, also significantly contribute to mental health problems, while family support acts as a protective factor. The findings highlight that the impact of digital technology is context-dependent and interacts with broader social determinants. In conclusion, adolescent mental health requires integrated, evidence-based public health interventions that address digital behavior, strengthen social support systems, and reduce structural inequalities to promote long-term well-being.
References
Campion, J., Javed, A., Lund, C., Sartorius, N., Saxena, S., Marmot, M., Allan, J., & Udomratn, P. (2022). Public mental health: required actions to address implementation failure in the context of COVID-19. The Lancet Psychiatry, 9, 169–182. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(21)00199-1
Chen, T., Ou, J., Li, G., & Luo, H. (2023). Promoting mental health in children and adolescents through digital technology: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1356554
Di Iorio, G., Esposito, D., Romano, S., Panvino, F., Altomonte, B., Conte, G., Casini, M., Terrinoni, A., Calderoni, D., Andò, R., Quattrociocchi, W., & Vitiello, B. (2025). Navigating child and adolescent mental health in the digital age. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1514806
Duncan, F., Baskin, C., McGrath, M., Coker, J., Lee, C., Dykxhoorn, J., Adams, E., Gnani, S., Lafortune, L., Kirkbride, J., Kaner, E., Jones, O., Samuel, G., Walters, K., Osborn, D., & Oliver, E. (2021). Community interventions for improving adult mental health: mapping local policy and practice in England. BMC Public Health, 21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11741-5
Fazel, M., & Soneson, E. (2023). Current evidence and opportunities in child and adolescent public mental health: a research review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13889
Jabbour, L., & Pillay, J. (2025). Mental health risks and resilience factors of adolescents in under-resourced schools. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.70052
Kessler, R. (2024). Challenges in implementing interventions to address the social determinants of mental health. World Psychiatry, 23. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21162
Kirkbride, J., Anglin, D., Colman, I., Dykxhoorn, J., Jones, P., Patalay, P., Pitman, A., Soneson, E., Steare, T., Wright, T., & Griffiths, S. (2024). The social determinants of mental health and disorder: evidence, prevention and recommendations. World Psychiatry, 23. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21160
Li, C., Wang, P., Martín-Moratinos, M., Bella-Fernández, M., & Blasco-Fontecilla, H. (2022). Traditional bullying and cyberbullying in the digital age and its associated mental health problems in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 33, 2895–2909. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-022-02128-x
Masri-Zada, T., Martirosyan, S., Abdou, A., Barbar, R., Kades, S., Makki, H., Haley, G., & Agrawal, D. (2025). The impact of social media & technology on child and adolescent mental health. Journal of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Disorders, 9, 111–130. https://doi.org/10.26502/jppd.2572-519x0242
Nwabueze, K., Akubue, N., Onakoya, A., Okolieze, S., Otaniyen-Igbinoba, I., Chukwunonye, C., Okengwu, C., Ige, T., Alao, O., & Adindu, K. (2025). Exploring the prevalence and risk factors of adolescent mental health issues in the COVID and post-COVID era in the U.K.: A systematic review. EXCLI Journal, 24, 508–523. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2025-8325
Orben, A., Meier, A., Dalgleish, T., & Blakemore, S. (2024). Mechanisms linking social media use to adolescent mental health vulnerability. Nature Reviews Psychology, 3, 407–423. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-024-00307-y
Pan, C., Liu, L., Cheng, S., Yang, X., Meng, P., Zhang, N., He, D., Chen, Y., Li, C., Zhang, H., Zhang, J., Zhang, Z., Cheng, B., Wen, Y., Jia, Y., Liu, H., & Zhang, F. (2023). A multidimensional social risk atlas of depression and anxiety: An observational and genome-wide environmental interaction study. Journal of Global Health, 13. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.13.04146
Remes, O., Mendes, J., & Templeton, P. (2021). Biological, psychological, and social determinants of depression: A review of recent literature. Brain Sciences, 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11121633
Singh, V., Kumar, A., & Gupta, S. (2022). Mental health prevention and promotion—A narrative review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.898009
Skinner, A., Li, I., Varidel, M., Iorfino, F., Occhipinti, J., Song, Y., Chong, M., & Hickie, I. (2025). Dynamic Bayesian network analysis of the social determinants of mental health. PNAS Nexus, 4. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf209
Storm, M., Van Eldik, W., Nooteboom, L., & Vermeiren, R. (2025). Social determinants associated with mental health problems in youth with intellectual disability: a systematic literature review. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 3697–3711. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-025-02794-7
Vuorre, M., Orben, A., & Przybylski, A. (2021). There is no evidence that associations between adolescents’ digital technology engagement and mental health problems have increased. Clinical Psychological Science, 9, 823–835. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702621994549
Wortham, W., Rodwin, A., Purtle, J., Munson, M., & Raghavan, R. (2023). Revisiting the policy ecology framework for implementation of evidence-based practices in mental health settings. Implementation Science, 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-023-01309-9
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Muti Atun Nafi’ah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
