ADOLESCENTS’ MENTAL HEALTH AND HEALTH LOCUS OF CONTROL

Abstract

The purposes of the study were to explore the gender and age differences in negative mental health of Korean adolescents, to identify the relationship between negative mental health and health locus of control. 2,124 adolescents randomly selected from junior high and high schools in Seoul were surveyed. Two Korean-version instruments were used to identify negative mental health and health locus of control of adolescents. Results indicated that there were significant differences in adolescents' negative mental health across gender and ages. Furthermore, results revealed that the adolescents’ negative mental health were statistically correlated with the sub-domains of health locus of control. For Korea, this study has the potential to influence the development of better mental health education programs for adolescents.