Subtypes of mental health difficulties and levels of resilience in Spanish adolescents

Emotional and behavioral difficulties are common among adolescents, and the role of psychological resilience in mitigating their impact needs further investigation. This study aimed to examine profiles of mental health difficulties combined with resilience levels in 1,425 Spanish adolescents at-risk. The participants were 1425 adolescents (59.9% girls). Mental health profiles were determined using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) via Latent Profile Analysis and compared for sociodemographic variables and mental health associated variables. Five profiles emerged: Subclinical (16%), Externalizing Problems (19%), Internalizing Problems (22%), Low Risk (32.5%), and Well-Adjusted (10%). Females had higher risk. Well-Adjusted and Low-Risk profiles differed significantly in all variables. Well-Adjusted profile had the lowest distress and psychosocial difficulties, and the highest quality of life; while the Subclinical profile showed the opposite pattern. Identifying and validating risk groups for emotional and behavioral difficulties, considering resilience, enables interventions promoting emotional well-being and preventing mental health challenges.