Page 33 - IJPS-8-1

International Journal of
Population Studies School dropouts and mental health among Indian adolescents

2. Data and Methods (g) being able to enjoy your normal day-to-day activities;
(h) being able to face up to your problems; (i) feeling
2.1. Data sources unhappy and distressed; (j) losing confidence in yourself;
We used data from the Understanding the Lives of (k) thinking of yourself as a worthless person; and (l)
Adolescents and Young Adults (UDAYA), a state-level feeling reasonably happy, all things considered. The score
longitudinal survey for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, India, was used to generate a total score ranging from 0 to 12.
conducted by the Population Council. UDAYA was Using the generated scores, a mental health status index
designed to provide estimates for the state as a whole as was constructed, which was divided into three categories
well as for the urban and rural areas of the state instead (Goldberg and Williams, 1988). The first category with
of district or sub-district levels. This paper is based on score “0” is considered “normal mental health,” the second
data drawn from a survey of Bihar participants in Youth category with scores “1-6” is considered “moderate mental
in India: Situation and Needs Study (IIPS and Population health,” and the third category “7-12” is considered “poor
Council, 2010) conducted in six states (Andhra Pradesh, mental health.” The internal consistency of the items
Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Tamil was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, and alpha equal
Nadu) in 2006–2007 (Youth stand adolescents who to or > 0.75 was considered satisfactory (Taber, 2018).
aged 15 – 19 at that time were followed up after almost Therefore, these mental health questions were suitable for
8–9 years later in 2015–2016 by Population Council). The constructing mental health index.
follow-up study was done to assess factors that determine
accumulation or losses of assets and adolescents’ quality 2.2.2. Explanatory variable
of transitions to adulthood. The corresponding data set 2.2.2.1. Educational attainment
provides longitudinal information for adolescents who
were 15–19 years old in 2007 and were young adults aged The variable defined as current status of schooling was
23–28 years in 2015–2016. Three categories of adolescents computed at both baseline and follow-up surveys. The
were tracked – unmarried adolescent girls and boys aged education variable considers the status of female schooling
15–19 in 2007, and married girls aged 15–19 in 2007 at the time of the survey and is classified into three
(Santhya, Acharya, Pandey, et al., 2017). In total, 601 categories. The first category is women who never attended
married girls, 1759 unmarried girls, and 563 unmarried school (never attended). The second category is dropouts-
boys were followed up successfully in 2015–2016. To women who dropped out of school before completing
fulfill the targeted objectives, the study has extracted 12 standards (dropout before completing 12 class), and
2360 sample sizes (only girls), out of total female sample of the third category consists of women who completed or
3188 at baseline. The newly generated datasets included all were continuing their schooling at the time of the survey
girls who belonged to the 15–19 age-group in the baseline (completed or continuing).
(2007) and the same girl cohort who were in the age 2.2.2.2. Marriage and childbearing-related variables
group 23 – 28 years, in the follow-up (2015 – 2016).
Marital status (never married, currently married), the age
2.2. Measures at first marriage (below 19 years, 19 years or above), age at
2.2.1. Outcome variables first birth (below 20 years, 20 years and above, no child,
unmarried), parity, and age of last child (no child, 2 years
Mental health status: The outcome variable was and below, above 2 years, and unmarried) were measured
constructed from the measure of psychological well- at follow-up data. Age at first birth was not readily available
being that was obtained from the 12-item General Health in the data; therefore, this variable was constructed by
Questionnaire (GHQ-12), a popular and widely used and subtracting the age of the first child from the age of the
validated scale to measure the mental health status of the woman and then categorized as – women who gave birth
population (Montazeri, Harirchi, Shariati, et al., 2003). The to their first child before age 20; and after 20 years. Parity
questionnaire consists of 12 items, each one assessing the is defined as the total number of times a woman gives birth
severity of a mental problem over the past 1 month using to a child, alive, or dead. In the case of parity, unmarried
a dichotomous (0–1) scoring style. The positive items were
scaled as 0 for “Yes” and 1 for “No,” and the negative ones women were categorized with the women having zero
as 1 for “Yes” and 0 for “No.” The 12-items are: (a) Being parity to find out the mental health status of women having
able to concentrate; (b) lost sleep over worry; (c) feeling zero parity as compared to women having parity one or
two or three plus.
that you are playing a useful role; (d) feeling that you are
capable of making a decision; (e) feeling constantly under The age of the last child was computed using the birth
strains; (f) feeling that you can’t overcome difficulties; order and age of every child. This variable was useful to

Volume 8 Issue 1 (2022) 27 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.v8i1.1280