Anxiety in the school context
an investigation in municipal schools in northern Minas Gerais
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35699/2178-1990.2025.56885Keywords:
anxiety, feeding behavior, sedentary behavior, students, nail bitingAbstract
Aim: To assess the presence of anxiety in schoolchildren and possible relationships with sociodemographic and behavioral factors.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional, epidemiological, descriptive and analytical study conducted with 420 students from urban municipal primary schools (1st to 9th grade). The outcome variable anxiety was assessed using the “What I Think and Feel” Children’s Anxiety Scale (OQPS). The independent variables included sociodemographic factors (school grade, gender, skin color and parents’ schooling) and behavioral habits. Descriptive analyses were carried out (absolute and relative frequencies). Poisson regression models were used to analyze the associations, with single and multiple factor analyses, estimating the crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR), with the respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Variables that proved to be associated in the simple analyses up to the 20% level (p ≤ 0.20) were included in the multivariate models. Only variables associated up to the 5% level (p ≤ 0.05) were kept in the final models.
Results: The estimated prevalence of anxiety was 46%. The variables that remained associated with the outcome studied were: female gender (p = 0.004), free time on the computer of 1 to 2 hours (p = 0.054) - which was borderline - practicing physical education 1 time or less (p = 0.008), consuming soft drinks 1 to 2 times (p = 0.005) and 3 times or more (p = 0.003), having a nail-biting habit (p = 0.018) and using a device (p = 0.024).
Conclusion: Anxiety in adolescents is linked to behavioral factors and daily habits. Excessive use of screens and poor eating habits increase anxiety, while physical activity helps to reduce symptoms.
References
Doyle MM. Anxiety disorders in children. Pediatr Rev. 2022;43(11):618-30.
Li R, Zhang MZ, Tang BW, Zhang J, Qu GC, Li H, et al. Associations of cardiorespiratory fitness, screen time and mental health among Chinese school children. Medicine (Baltimore). 2022;101(48):e32173.
Ramón-Arbués E, Martínez Abadía B, Granada López JM, Echániz Serrano E, Pellicer García B, Juárez Vela R, et al. Conducta alimentaria y su relación con el estrés, la ansiedad, la depresión y el insomnio en estudiantes universitarios [Eating behavior and relationships with stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia in university students]. Nutr Hosp. 2019;36(6):1339-45.
Song Z, Huang J, Qiao T, Yan J, Zhang X, Lu D. Association between maternal anxiety and children’s problem behaviors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(17):11106.
Costa SV, Souza BK, Cruvinel T, Oliveira TM, Lourenço Neto N, Machado MAAM. Factors associated with preschool children’s sleep bruxism. Cranio. 2024;42(1):48-54.
von Elm E, Altman DG, Egger M, Pocock SJ, Gøtzsche PC, Vandenbroucke JP. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies. J Clin Epidemiol. 2008;61(4):344-9.
Luiz RR, Magnanini MMF. The logic of sample size determination in epidemiological research. Cad Saude Colet. 2000;8(2):9-28.
Gorayeb MAM, Gorayeb R. “O que penso e sinto” - adaptação da Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) para o português. Temas Psicol. [Internet]. 2008 jun [acesso em 21 mar 2024];16(1):35-45. Disponível em: https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/5137/513753244003.pdf
WHO Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. Young people’s health in context. Health behaviour in school-age children (HBSC) study: international report from the 2001/2002 survey/edited by Currie C, Roberts C, Morgan A, Smith R, Settertobulte W, Samdal O, et al. Health policy for children and adolescentes; nº 4. ISBN: 9289013729.
Dias PJP, Domingos IP, Ferreira MG, Muraro AP, Sichieri R, Gonçalves-Silva RMV. Prevalência e fatores associados aos comportamentos sedentários em adolescentes. Rev Saude Publica [Internet]. 2014 abr [acesso em 22 mar 2024];48(2):266-74. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-8910.2014048004635
Costa CS, Flores TR, Wendt A, Neves RG, Assunção MCF, Santos IS. Comportamento sedentário e consumo de alimentos ultraprocessados entre adolescentes brasileiros: Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde do Escolar (PeNSE), 2015. Cad Saude Publica [Internet]. 2018 [acesso em 20 mar 2024];34(3):e00021017. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-311X00021017
Vasconcelos AC, César CPHAR, Lourenço CT, Murakami LK, Paranhos LR. Prevalência de onicofagia na clínica ortodôntica. RFO UPF. 2012;17(1):67-71.
Melo PED, Pontes JRS. Hábitos orais deletérios em um grupo de crianças de uma escola da rede pública na cidade de São Paulo. Rev CEFAC [Internet]. 2014 nov-dez [acesso em 22 mar 2024];16(6):1945-52. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-0216201418213
Pacan P, Reich A, Grzesiak M, Szepietowski JC. Onychophagia is associated with impairment of quality of life. Acta Derm Venereol. 2014;94(6):703-6.
Pedraz-Petrozzi B, Pilco-Inga J, Vizcarra-Pasapera J, Osada-Liy J, Ruiz-Grosso P, Vizcarra-Escobar D. Anxiety, restless legs syndrome and onychophagia in medical students. Rev Neuro-Psiquiatr. 2015;78(4):195-202.
Kumar RK, Aruna G, Biradar N, Reddy KS, Soubhagya M, Sushma SA. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among high school adolescent’s children in public and private schools in Rangareddy district Telangana state: a cross-sectional study. J Educ Health Promot. 2022;11:83.
Chougule K; Halder A; Behere P; Chougule N. Prevalence, patterns and correlation of behavioral and emotional disorders in school-going children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study. Indian J Priv Psychiatry. 2024;18(1):20-1.
Bach SL, Molina ML, Amaral PL, Reyes AN, Jansen K, Silva RA, et al. Emotional and behavioral problems: a school-based study in southern Brazil. Trends Psychiatry Psychother. 2019;41(3):211-7.
Draghi TTG, Cavalcante Neto JL, Tudella E. Symptoms of anxiety and depression in schoolchildren with and without developmental coordination disorder. J Health Psychol. 2021;26(10):1519-27.
Vazquez DA, Caetano SC, Schlegel R, Lourenço E, Nemi A, Slemian A, et al. Vida sem escola e saúde mental dos estudantes de escolas públicas na pandemia de Covid-19. Saude Debate [Internet]. 2022 [acesso em 20 mar 2024];46(133):304-17. Disponível em: https://www.saudeemdebate.org.br/sed/article/view/6186
Jenkins JH, Sanchez G, Miller EA, Santillanes Allande NI, Urano G, Pryor AJ. Depression and anxiety among multiethnic middle school students: age, gender, and sociocultural environment. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2023;69(3):784-94.
Gao W, Ping S, Liu X. Gender differences in depression, anxiety, and stress among college students: a longitudinal study from China. J Affect Disord. 2020;263:292-300.
Chandranaik D, Goyal JP, Singh K, Kumar P. Association of digital media use with sleep habits in school children: a cross-sectional study. Sleep Med X. 2024;8:100117.
Francisquini MCJ, Silva TMS, Santos GC, Barbosa RO, Dias PHG, Ruiz AB, et al. Associations of screen time with symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression in adolescents. Rev Paul Pediatr [Internet]. 2025 [acesso em 21 mar 2024];43:e2023250. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1590/1984-0462/2025/43/2023250
Drumond CL, Paiva SM, Vieira-Andrade RG, Ramos-Jorge J, Ramos-Jorge ML, Provini F, et al. Do family functioning and mothers’ and children’s stress increase the odds of probable sleep bruxism among schoolchildren? A case control study. Clin Oral Investig. 2020;24(2):1025-33.
Araújo LJS, Gomes MC, Firmino RT, Costa EMMB, Paiva SM, Granville-Garcia AF. Individual and contextual determinants associated with bullying in schoolchildren eight to ten years of age. Braz Dent J [Internet]. 2024 [acesso em 20 mar 2024];35:e24-6084. Disponível em: https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-6440202406084
