PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS AMONG SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THEIR STUDENT COUNSELORS: DIFFERENCES AND RELATIONSHIPS

Background: School students might be at risk of suffering from a range of psychological disorders. Student counselorswould help in understand the relationships and differences between these disorders. Objectives:The study aimed to recognize the differences and relationships of psychological disorders among school students from the perspective of the students counselors in Taif. Methods and Material:A mixed-methods approach was used. Eighty-four student counselors filled in a questionnaire and 13 were interviewed. Statistical analysis used: Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance – ANOVA, and Spearmans rank-order correlation were used. Results: There are significant differences at p<.05 in the psychological disorders experienced by students in favor of the students in secondary school (M=4.63, SD=.848), in crowded schools that have between 1001–1200 students (M=2.298, SD=.335), and in favour of student counselors with experience of at least ten years (M=2.289, SD=.179). There are positive correlations between psychological disorders and the total number of the students in a school (rho=.466, p<.001), the experience level of student counselors (rho=.423, p<.001), and the students education stage (rho=.208, p<.05). Qualitative data were in line with the findings of the quantitative data. Conclusions:It is important to have adequate numbers of student counselors in schools, as this improves the quality of counseling services provided. Exploring psychological disorders as early as possible also helps in treating the students successfully. Finally, it is essential to enhance mental health in schools, and this is part of the Saudi Vision 2030, specifically in the area of social well-being. Key messages:School students suffer from a number of psychological disorders and it is clear that student counselors help in exploring these disorders and the relationshipsand differences between them, so that the counselors are able to deal with them. Acknowledgement:The authors would like to thank the Administration of Education in Taif. The authors also thank all those who volunteered their time to participate in this study.