Distribution of psychiatric symptoms among young Turkish ma and the relationship between these symptoms and socio-demographic characteristics Umit Aydogan a, ⁎ , Halil Akbulut a , Ozcan Uzun b , Servet Yuksel a , Turker Turker c , Orhan Gevrek a , Serkan Mutlu a , Polat Nerkiz a , Oktay Sari a , Cemil Celik b , Kenan Saglam d a Department of Family Medicine, Gulhane Military Medical Faculty, Ankara, Turkey b Department of Psychiatry Ankara, Gulhane Military Medical Faculty, Ankara, Turkey c Department of Epidemiology, Ankara, Gulhane Military Medical Faculty, Ankara, Turkey d Department of Internal Medicine, Ankara, Gulhane Military Medical Faculty, Ankara, Turkey Abstract Objective: Youth is a period during which individuals undergo rapid physical and psychological changes in their transition to adulthood. This study aimed to determine the psychological problems of young males from different socio-cultural bac different cities of Turkey and to examine the socio-cultural factors possibly associated with these problems. Methods: The study was conducted in six different cities in Turkey with the participation of 3655 young male adults. Participants were administered a questionnaire to collect socio-demographic data such as age, marital status, educational background, the and alcohol use, income level, occupation, place of residence and the history of chronic disease and allergies. Psycholog detected via the Symptom Check List (SCL-90 R). The study data were transferred to the SPSS-15 database for statistical analysis Results: The median age of the participants was 20.49 ± 1.48 years (20–29 age range, median age = 20). Based on the mean General Symptom Index (GSI) score of the study participants was found to be 0.44 ± 0.27 (0.00–2.61). 13.5% of the participants (n = 493) were recorded to have above-the-average GSI scores (≥1.0). Occupation, smoking and alcohol use were found Factors effecting anxiety were occupation, smoking, alcohol use and place of residence. Conclusion: Psychological symptoms that young people suffer from can be diagnosed at early stages and the psychologic triggered by these symptoms can be prevented with the help of such questionnaires. These questionnaires can easily be administered in primary care settings. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Youth is an important period when individuals undergo rapid physiological and psychological changes in their transition from childhood to adulthood. During this period, individuals shape their psychological and gender identities while slowly becoming less dependent on theirparents. Nearly 20% ofadolescents suffer from stress during this stormy period [1,2]. Mood problems that arise during this period are known have life-long effects on both the individual and his/her surroundings. Such problems suffered by young people are generally temporary and periodic; however, some of these problems may induce permanent psychological disorders. Although the rate of permanent psychological disorders is low, such disorders are of greatimportance for countries such as Turkey, where the youth population is high. For t reason particularly during adolescence, young adults sho be closely monitored. Today, the rate of neuro-psychiatric disorders among a diseasesis 14% [3]. However,prevalenceof neuro- psychiatric disorders increases day by day. For instance, according to the2020 estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO), neuro-psychiatric disorders will take Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Comprehensive Psychiatry 54 (2013) 269 – 275 www.elsevier.com/locate/comppsych ⁎ Corresponding author. Department of Family Medicine, Gulhane Military Medical Faculty,06018 Etlik,Ankara,Turkey.Tel.: +90 532 6871911. E-mail address: uaydogan06@gmail.com (U. Aydogan). 0010-440X/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2012.07.065