Mental health of adolescents in Ho Chi Minh City: Risk assessment and solutions
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the age range of adolescents as between 10 and 19 years old. However, in Vietnam, there is no consensus on the age at which an individual is considered an adolescent. Legally, adolescents (referred to as "VTN" here) are considered individuals under the age of 18 (Van Khanh, 2019). This is a crucial period marked by the onset of puberty, primarily occurring between the ages of 12 to 16, which necessitates special attention due to various physical and psychological changes (Mason-Jones et al., 2012; Nguyen & Nguyen, 2009). Due to the complex nature of their development, adolescents face more psychological challenges than other age groups and are more likely to engage in deviant behaviors (Huynh et al., 2020; Sankar et al., 2017). Therefore, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) plays a vital role in laying the foundation for their well-being, self-awareness, and effective coping mechanisms (Dam et al., 2013; Nguyen & Le, 2014). ...