Abstract

Background: Anxiety disorders are frequent in adolescents and are associated with a clinically significant degree of severity and substantial psychosocial disability. Interventions that address their needs can save lives and foster a new generation of productive adults who can help their communities’ progress.
Objective: To determine the prevalence and risk factors responsible for anxiety among male secondary schools’ students in Madinah.
Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted in Al-Madinah city in 2012. Only secondary school male students were included for study. Multistage sampling technique was used for student’s inclusion. The researcher used a self-administered questionnaire containing sociodemographic and medical data and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Fifteen students were given this questionnaire as a pilot study. All data have been entered and analyzed using SPSS version 17. Result: This study indicates the prevalence rates for symptoms of anxiety among Saudi secondary school boys of Al-Madinah city. 61.6% students showed symptoms of anxiety. About 3.4% students showed severe symptoms of anxiety whereas 58.2% of them showed mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety. The risk factors found were accidents, bronchial asthma, and hypertension. Conclusion: This study indicates the prevalence of anxiety among Saudi secondary school boys of Al-Madinah city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). A corelation has been found between symptoms of anxiety and chronic diseases such as hypertension, bronchial asthma, and history of accidents. No significant relation was found between the score of anxiety and the sociodemographic characteristics of the study participants and their parents.