Impact of Educational Attainment on Mental Health Among Thai Adolescents: A Comparative Study of Educated and Uneducated Adolescents

The issue of mental health among youth in Thailand has seen a significant increase. Research by UNICEF indicates that most Thai youth aged 10-19 have experienced mental health problems and engaged in self-harm in recent years due to various factors. This study focuses on a key factor that most Thai youth should receive: “education.” According to Thai law, basic education is a right for all Thai youth. However, at a certain age, some youth decide to leave the education system due to personal issues. This raises the researcher’s question: does education, which all Thai youth are supposed to receive, affect the mental health issues of Thai youth? The study employed a survey conducted through Google Forms, with questions selected from the Department of Mental Health of Thailand to assess various skills that the researcher aimed to examine. The data were analyzed using the Independent Sample t-test to compare groups and determine significant differences (SPSS), presenting the findings in graphical format. The control variables for this study were the participants, who came from neighboring regions with similar income levels. The researcher interpreted and analyzed the collected data. The findings indicated that the group receiving education had better mental health, coping with academic pressure, and happiness results compared to the group not receiving education. However, both groups had similar stress results. The researcher further analyzed these findings, considering both internal and external factors.