Self-reported mental health in children ages 6–12 years across eight European countries

• Published in: European child & adolescent psychiatry Vol. 27; no. 6; pp. 785 - 795
• Main Authors: Husky, Mathilde M., Boyd, Anders, Bitfoi, Adina, Carta, Mauro Giovanni, Chan-Chee, Christine, Goelitz, Dietmar, Koç, Ceren, Lesinskiene, Sigita, Mihova, Zlatka, Otten, Roy, Pez, Ondine, Shojaei, Taraneh, Kovess-Masfety, Viviane
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.06.2018; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Verlag (Germany)
• Subjects: Adolescents; Child; Child & adolescent mental health; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; Children; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Cross-Sectional Studies; Europe - epidemiology; Externalizing problems; Female; Health problems; Humans; Internalization; Internalizing disorders; Life Sciences; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental disorders; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental Health; Original Contribution; Prevalence; Psychiatry; Santé publique et épidémiologie; Schools; Self Report; Surveys and Questionnaires; Netherlands; Turkey; Bulgaria; France; Child mental health; Prevalence; Europe; Self-reported mental health
• ISSN: 1018-8827; 1435-165X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00787-017-1073-0

Worldwide, approximately one in eight children or adolescents suffers from a mental disorder. The present study was designed to determine the self-reported prevalence of mental health problems in children aged 6–11 years across eight European countries including Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. Data were drawn from 6245 children participating in the School Children Mental Health in Europe (SCHME) study and a large cross-sectional survey in France. Self-reported child mental health was assessed using the Dominique Interactive (DI). Overall, 22.0% of children were identified per their own evaluation as having at least one mental disorder, ranging from 16.4% in the Netherlands to 27.9% in Bulgaria. The prevalence of internalizing disorders was 18.4% across countries and ranged from 11.8% in the Netherlands to 24.3% in Turkey. The prevalence of externalizing disorders was lower with an average of 7.8%, ranging from 3.5% in Turkey to 10.5% in Bulgaria. Combining samples across European countries, 1 in 5 children reported internalizing problems and 1 in 12 children externalizing problems. The net completion rates of 4.1–74.3% preclude conclusions about national differences in prevalence rates.