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. 2017 Aug;26(4):395-402.
doi: 10.1017/S2045796015001158. Epub 2016 Jan 20.

The global coverage of prevalence data for mental disorders in children and adolescents

H E Erskine  1 , A J Baxter  1 , G Patton  2 , T E Moffitt  3 , V Patel  4 , H A Whiteford  1 , J G Scott  5
Affiliations

The global coverage of prevalence data for mental disorders in children and adolescents

H E Erskine et al. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2017 Aug.

Abstract

Aims: Children and adolescents make up almost a quarter of the world's population with 85% living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, mental (and substance use) disorders are the leading cause of disability in young people; however, the representativeness or 'coverage' of the prevalence data is unknown. Coverage refers to the proportion of the target population (ages 5-17 years) represented by the available data.

Methods: Prevalence data for conduct disorder (CD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), eating disorders (EDs), depression, and anxiety disorders were sourced from systematic reviews conducted for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 (GBD 2010) and 2013 (GBD 2013). For each study, the location proportion was multiplied by the age proportion to give study coverage. Location proportion was calculated by dividing the total study location population by the total study location population. Age proportion was calculated by dividing the population of the country aged within the age range of the study sample by the population of the country aged within the age range of the study sample. If a study only sampled one sex, study coverage was halved. Coverage across studies was then summed for each country to give coverage by country. This method was repeated at the region and global level, and separately for GBD 2013 and GBD 2010.

Results: Mean global coverage of prevalence data for mental disorders in ages 5-17 years was 6.7% (CD: 5.0%, ADHD: 5.5%, ASDs: 16.1%, EDs: 4.4%, depression: 6.2%, anxiety: 3.2%). Of 187 countries, 124 had no data for any disorder. Many LMICs were poorly represented in the available prevalence data, for example, no region in sub-Saharan Africa had more than 2% coverage for any disorder. While coverage increased between GBD 2010 and GBD 2013, this differed greatly between disorders and few new countries provided data.

Conclusions: The global coverage of prevalence data for mental disorders in children and adolescents is limited. Practical methodology must be developed and epidemiological surveys funded to provide representative prevalence estimates so as to inform appropriate resource allocation and support policies that address mental health needs of children and adolescents.

Keywords: Childhood; adolescence; epidemiology; mental disorders.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Map of mean coverage (%) for each region.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). American Psychiatric Association: Washington, DC.
    1. Baxter AJ, Patton G, Scott KM, Degenhardt L, Whiteford HA (2013a). Global epidemiology of mental disorders: what are we missing? PLoS ONE 8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baxter AJ, Scott KM, Vos T, Whiteford HA (2013b). Global prevalence of anxiety disorders: a systematic review and meta-regression. Psychological Medicine 43, 897–910. - PubMed
    1. Baxter AJ, Brugha TS, Erskine HE, Scheurer RW, Vos T, Scott JG (2014). The epidemiology and global burden of autism spectrum disorders. Psychological Medicine First View, 1–13. - PubMed
    1. Bor W, Dean AJ, Najman J, Hayatbakhsh R (2014). Are child and adolescent mental health problems increasing in the 21st century? A systematic review. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 48, 606–616. - PubMed

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