Published Paper Details:

Adolescence is a critical developmental stage marked by significant biological, psychological, and social changes, making it susceptible to various mental health challenges. During this time, adolescents rely heavily on their family for support, guidance, and a sense of security. The family environment serves as the primary context within which adolescents learn to navigate relationships, manage emotions, and develop coping mechanisms. The present study was conducted to find out the significant difference in family environment and mental health of adolescents of government and private schools of both rural and urban areas. A stratified random sampling technique was employed for selecting sample of 200 secondary students from 6 government and 6 private schools of both rural and urban area of Jammu city. Results revealed that urban adolescents perceived family environment as more cohesive, more expressive, more accepting and caring, and more independent as compared to rural adolescents. Family environment is significantly much better than those from rural areas. Adolescent boys perceive family environment significantly better than adolescence girls. Conclusions of the present study are useful for parents and caregivers of adolescents.