Abstract

This study aimed to describe the mental health status of high school students and examine its association with school safety. The study sample consisted of 942 students from four high schools in Ho Chi Minh City. Data were collected using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale–10 (DASS-10) and the school safety subscale. The results indicated that the mean overall DASS score was 10.30 (SD = 5.65), with female students reporting higher overall DASS scores than male students. The mean overall school safety score was 3.41 (SD = 0.70) on a 5-point scale, indicating a high level of perceived school safety. School safety and its components were significantly negatively correlated with DASS indicators, although the strength of these associations was weak. These findings suggest that students who perceive their school environment as safer tend to report fewer symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Keywords: Mental health, school safety, stress-anxiety, depression, high school students.