Persistence and course of mental health problems from childhood into adolescence: results of a 10-year longitudinal study

Abstract

Background Mental health problems (MHP) in children and adolescents (CA) are common. This longitudinal study analyzed the prevalence, course, and persistence of MHP over 10 years from childhood into adolescence based on a sample from the Future Family project (N = 230). Methods At the pre-assessment point the children were on average 5 (SE = 1) and the mothers 35 (SE = 5) years old. Descriptive methods, Chi2-tests, binary logistic regression, and different analytical approaches (number chains, transition probability) were used. Results Approximately 24% of the CA suffered from borderline clinical or clinically relevant MHP. The largest proportion of the sample was stable healthy (70%), whereas 15% of the CA showed chronic mentally ill, 8% transient, 4% negative and 4% positive courses. The mental health of the mother proved to be a decisive predictor for chronic mentally ill courses. Short-term persistence rates ranged between 60 and 70% from one assessment point to the next one. On the other hand, long-term persistence rates (from childhood into adolescence) were lower (51–59%). Conclusion One in seven children in this sample suffered from chronic MHP, while only one third of the CA in Germany with clinically relevant MHP take advantage of psychological or psychiatric care. Prevention programs should be considered as an effective and economic approach to reduce childhood suffering in Germany.

Co-occurrence, stability and manifestation of child and adolescent mental health problems: a latent transition analysis

“…For instance, socialisation experiences based on expectation of girls to be preoccupied with interpersonal relationship by being prosocial and submissive compared to boys may explain gender differences for mental health problems [ 42 , 85 , 88 ]. In the present study, a large group of children and adolescents remains stable with low probability of mental health problems (77.3%) similar to previous findings [ 2 ]. Future investigations should also focus on the vast majority of children that do not show mental health problems over the lifetime to explore additional protective factors to ensure mental health.…”

“…Against the finding of a remission rate of 37.7% for mental health problems among individuals with heterotypic stability, 14.7% of individuals in the sample showed a persistent pattern of mental health problems over time, similar to previous findings (e.g., [ 2 ]). Targeting those children and adolescents has several implications for prevention and intervention strategies.…”

“…Worldwide, 10 to 20% in children and adolescents are affected by socio-emotional and behavioural adjustment problems starting early as infancy [1][2][3][4]. Substantial research has shown that multiple risk factors portend maladjustment in children and adolescents [5][6][7].…”

Stationäre Versorgung in der Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie – wer hat Platz?

“…Dies allerdings führt schnell zur Gefahr eines "Drehtüreffekts", da nicht hinreichend behandelte Jugendliche oftmals Gefahr laufen, sich schnell erneut zur Aufnahme vorstellen zu müssen [9]. Auch sollte einbezogen werden, dass sich vor allem internalisierende Erkrankungen wie Ängste und Depressionen zu erhöhen scheinen [4], Erkrankungen die, wenn sie einmal manifest sind, lange Behandlungsverläufe bedingen, da sie langsam schleichend entstehen und dadurch eher dazu tendieren zu chronifizieren [18]. Dem sollte auch in Österreich begegnet werden.…”

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF): an effect biomarker of neurodevelopment in human biomonitoring programs

“…This situation has been referred to as the “silent pandemic of neurodevelopmental toxicity” ( Grandjean and Landrigan, 2014 ). Moreover, there has been a rising incidence of mental health disorders among adolescents, such as social anxiety, depression, or eating disorders ( Supke et al, 2021 ) for which exposure to chemical pollutants has been suggested to potentially amplify these effects ( Bjørling-Poulsen et al, 2008 ; Bouchard et al, 2010 ; Shoaff et al, 2020 ; Pfeifer and Allen, 2021 ; Supke et al, 2021 ). However, the neurological impact of chemical pollutants exposure during adolescence remains relatively understudied, and there is still limited knowledge in this area.…”