Russian child mental health--a cross-sectional study of prevalence and risk factors

Abstract

Background: The fall of communism and subsequent economic crises have been followed by major social and health problems. High rates of child mental health problems are frequently cited by the Russian media, though there is little relevant evidence.

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and associations of child mental health problems in Russia using internationally recognised measures and diagnostic systems.

Method: A two-stage, two-phase cross-sectional survey of the mental health of 7- to 14-year-olds involved random sampling of schools, followed by random sampling of pupils from school lists. A sample of 448 children was obtained, representing an 83% participation rate. In the first phase, screening measures of psychopathology and risk were administered to parents, teachers and 11- to 14-year-olds. In the second phase, more detailed psychiatric assessments were carried out for subgroups of screen-positive and screen-negative children (N=172).

Results: The prevalence of psychiatric disorder was about 70% higher than that recently found in Britain with comparable measures, but there were few differences between Britain and Russia in type of disorder or key risk factors.

Conclusion: There is a pressing need for evidence-based mental health treatments to be made widely available to Russian children and adolescents.