[Prevalence of emotional and behavioral symptomatology in Spanish adolescents]

Introduction: The main purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of symptoms of an emotional and behavioral nature, as well as prosocial type capabilities, measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, in non-clinical adolescents.

Method: The final sample was composed of a total of 508 students, 208 male (40.9%). The age of participants ranged from 11 to 18 years (M=13.91 years; SD=1.71).

Results: The results show that a significant number of adolescents self-reported emotional and behavioral problems. The mean scores of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire subscales varied according the gender and age of the adolescents.

Conclusions: In the present study, the prevalence of psychological difficulties among adolescents was similar to that reported in other national and international studies. In view of these results, there is a need to develop programs for the early detection of these types of problems in schools in children and adolescents ages.