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Citation
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Erskine HE, Enright ME, Blondell SJ, Shadid J, Scott JG, Whiteford HA. J. Adolesc. Health 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub. |
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Abstract
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The majority of mental disorders have their first onset during adolescence and are among the leading causes of disability in this age group. However, there are limited commensurate prevalence data. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in particular, prevalence data remain severely limited despite these countries having higher proportions of adolescents in their populations. Prevalence data are required for generating accurate epidemiological and burden estimates, while also informing service planning and efficient resource allocation.
Existing studies from LMICs which report mental disorder prevalence in adolescents often utilize symptom scales rather than diagnostic measures, small nonrepresentative samples, or clinical services data which only represent individuals who can and do seek help. A recent study found that only 4.5% of the population aged 5-17 years living in LMICs was represented by studies using diagnostic measures of mental disorders in samples representative of the general population. Further disparities were seen within the LMIC grouping, e.g., with no region within sub-Saharan Africa having greater than 1% prevalence data coverage. Beyond issues of limited prevalence data coverage, there are questions regarding the applicability of mental disorder diagnostic criteria to adolescents within these countries, and whether cultural considerations have been sufficiently factored into survey methodology to allow for accurate interpretation of findings.
The National Adolescent Mental Health Surveys (NAMHS) aims to address the lack of prevalence data for mental disorders among adolescents in LMICs. NAMHS will conduct nationally representative household surveys of the prevalence of mental
Language: en |