Prevalence of and factors associated with loneliness, anxiety-induced sleep disturbance, and suicidal ideation among school-going adolescents in Panama

<i>Background:</i> In recent years, mental health issues among adolescents have gained significant attention. Like many other nations, Panama is experiencing a growing prevalence of these challenges within its youth. It is crucial to investigate the prevalence of, and the underlying factors associated with, loneliness, anxiety-related sleep disturbances, and suicide ideation to develop effective intervention strategies<i>Objectives:</i> The study aimed to assess the prevalence of loneliness, anxiety-induced sleep disturbance, and suicidal ideation in Panama's school-going adolescents and to identify the risk factors that make this age group vulnerable to these psychological problems using sex-stratified data.<i>Methods:</i> We used cross-sectional survey data from the Panama Global School-based Student Health Survey 2018 and performed descriptive and inferential statistical analyses.<i>Results:</i> Suicidal ideation was more common (18.5%) than loneliness (16.3%) or anxiety-induced sleep disturbance (10.4%) among adolescents in Panama. Higher odds of loneliness were found among those who had no close friends [AOR =3.553, 95% CI = 2.417 - 5.223], experienced hunger [AOR = 2.606, 95% CI = 1.314 - 5.168], and were bullied on school property [AOR = 1.747, 95% CI = 1.307 - 2.334] than their counterparts (i.e., those who had close friends, did not experienced hunger, and were not bullied on school property. Respondents who had no close friends [AOR = 1.624, 95% CI = 1.016 - 2.598] and suffered bullying both inside [AOR = 1.939, 95% CI = 1.406 - 2.674] and outside [AOR = 1.453, 95% CI = 1.013 - 2.084] of school property were more prone than their counterparts to experience anxiety-induced sleep disturbances. Additionally, adolescents who experienced hunger [AOR = 2.675, 95% CI = 1.396 - 5.126], had no close friends [AOR = 1.605, 95% CI = 1.077 - 2.393], were bullied on school property [AOR = 1.964, 95% CI = 1.499 - 2.571], and consumed alcohol [AOR = 1.425, 95% CI = 1.113 - 1.825] encountered higher odds of suicidal ideation. However, girls were more susceptible to suicidal ideation than boys if they had no close friends, experienced hunger, and were bullied on school property. Conversely, parents' understanding significantly lowered the odds of suicidal ideation compared to their counterparts.<i>Conclusions:</i> Gender-sensitive and proactive community-based initiatives should be implemented to improve adolescents' mental health in Panama. Moreover, an inclusive school curriculum is needed to address adolescents' psychological issues.