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Sex Differences in Mental Health among 13-15 Year Old Adolescents in Iran and Finland: A Comparative Study

Jalal Khademi, Kaj Björkqvist, Patrik Söderberg and Karin Österman

Objectives: To investigate sex differences in mental health in 13-15 year-old adolescents in Iran and Finland, in order to explore potential cultural influence on sex differences in mental health during early adolescence. Methods: Six hundred adolescents from Iran and 2205 adolescents from Finland (age range 13-15 yrs.) filled in a questionnaire consisting of scales from the Brief Symptom Inventory (anxiety, hostility and depression), the Ostrobothnian Youth Survey (body satisfaction and somatic symptoms), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the SCOFF index for eating disorders. Results: In the Iranian sample, no sex difference was found on any of the seven measures. In the Finnish sample, sex differences were found on all seven, indicating better mental health among boys than among girls, in this age group. Conclusion: Studies conducted in Western nations usually find better mental health among adolescent boys than among adolescent girls. In the present study, it was true for the Finnish sample but not for the Iranian sample. The results suggest that the commonly found sex difference in mental health among adolescents may be a culturally based phenomenon. More study on the subject is needed.