Prevalence and Correlates of Mental Disorders Among Adolescents in Italy: the PrISMA Study

Overview

Journal Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry

Specialties Pediatrics
Psychiatry

Date 2009 Jan 24

PMID 19165539

Citations 62

Authors

Alessandra Frigerio

Paola Rucci

Robert Goodman

Massimo Ammaniti

Ombretta Carlet

Pina Cavolina

Giovanni de Girolamo

Carlo Lenti

Loredana Lucarelli

Elisa Mani

Andrea Martinuzzi

Nadia Micali

Annarita Milone

Pierluigi Morosini

Filippo Muratori

Franco Nardocci

Valentina Pastore

Gabriella Polidori

Andrea Tullini

Laura Vanzin

Laura Villa

Mauro Walder

Alessandro Zuddas

Massimo Molteni

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: While in the last 5 years several studies have been conducted in Italy on the prevalence of mental disorders in adults, to date no epidemiological study has been targeted on mental disorders in adolescents.

Method: A two-phase study was conducted on 3,418 participants using the child behavior checklist/6-18 (CBCL) and the development and well-being assessment (DAWBA), a structured interview with verbatim reports reviewed by clinicians.

Results: The prevalence of CBCL caseness and DSM-IV disorders was 9.8% (CI 8.8-10.8%) and 8.2% (CI 4.2-12.3%), respectively. DSM-IV Emotional disorders were more frequently observed (6.5% CI 2.2-10.8%) than externalizing disorders (1.2% CI 0.2-2.3%). In girls, prevalence estimates increased significantly with age; furthermore, living with a single parent, low level of maternal education, and low family income were associated with a higher likelihood of suffering from emotional or behavioral problems.

Conclusions: Approximately one in ten adolescents has psychological problems. Teachers and clinicians should focus on boys and girls living with a single parent and/or in disadvantaged socioeconomic conditions.

Citing Articles

Prevalence, Patterns and Correlates of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders in Kumasi, Ghana: An Urban Community-Based Survey.

Kusi-Mensah K, Inuwa K, Otu-Ansah C, Ekremet P, Sackey R, Owusu-Antwi R Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2024; .

PMID: 39673576 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-024-01799-8.

Adolescent Depressive Symptoms and Peer Dynamics: Distorted Perceptions in Liking and Disliking Networks.

Palacios D, Caldaroni S, Berger C, Di Tata D, Barrera D Behav Sci (Basel). 2024; 14(11).

PMID: 39594410 PMC: 11591119. DOI: 10.3390/bs14111110.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on prescription of psychotropic medications in the Italian paediatric population during 2020.

Gallinella F, Trotta F, Fortinguerra F Ital J Pediatr. 2024; 50(1):102.

PMID: 38764095 PMC: 11103882. DOI: 10.1186/s13052-024-01670-5.

Twenty years of emotional-behavioral problems of community adolescents living in Italy measured through the Achenbach system of empirically based assessment (ASEBA): a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Pace C, Muzi S, Frigerio A, Morganti W, Bianchi V, Rogier G Front Psychiatry. 2023; 14:1161917.

PMID: 38146284 PMC: 10749347. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1161917.

Prevalence of mental disorders among middle school students in Shaoxing, China.

Pei S, Wu X, Ye W, Fang L, Zhang H, Zhou F Ann Gen Psychiatry. 2023; 22(1):31.

PMID: 37641074 PMC: 10463987. DOI: 10.1186/s12991-023-00463-0.

References

Ford T, Goodman R, Meltzer H . The relative importance of child, family, school and neighbourhood correlates of childhood psychiatric disorder. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2004; 39(6):487-96. DOI: 10.1007/s00127-004-0782-0. View

Meltzer H, Gatward R, Goodman R, Ford T . Mental health of children and adolescents in Great Britain. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2003; 15(1-2):185-7. DOI: 10.1080/0954026021000046155. View

Goodman R, Slobodskaya H, Knyazev G . Russian child mental health--a cross-sectional study of prevalence and risk factors. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2005; 14(1):28-33. DOI: 10.1007/s00787-005-0420-8. View

Frigerio A, Vanzin L, Pastore V, Nobile M, Giorda R, Marino C . The Italian preadolescent mental health project (PrISMA): rationale and methods. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2006; 15(1):22-35. PMC: 6878488. DOI: 10.1002/mpr.25. View

Angold A, Erkanli A, Farmer E, Fairbank J, Burns B, Keeler G . Psychiatric disorder, impairment, and service use in rural African American and white youth. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2002; 59(10):893-901. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.59.10.893. View

Rutter M . The city and the child. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 1981; 51(4):610-625. DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-0025.1981.tb01407.x. View

Kessler R, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas K, Walters E . Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005; 62(6):593-602. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.593. View

Sourander A, Helstela L, Ristkari T, Ikaheimo K, Helenius H, Piha J . Child and adolescent mental health service use in Finland. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2001; 36(6):294-8. DOI: 10.1007/s001270170047. View

Steinhausen H . Developmental psychopathology in adolescence: findings from a Swiss study--the NAPE Lecture 2005. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2006; 113(1):6-12. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2005.00706.x. View

10.

Bilenberg N, Petersen D, Hoerder K, Gillberg C . The prevalence of child-psychiatric disorders among 8-9-year-old children in Danish mainstream schools. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2005; 111(1):59-67. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2004.00432.x. View

11.

Costello E, Angold A, Burns B, Stangl D, Tweed D, Erkanli A . The Great Smoky Mountains Study of Youth. Goals, design, methods, and the prevalence of DSM-III-R disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1996; 53(12):1129-36. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1996.01830120067012. View

12.

Faravelli C, Abrardi L, Bartolozzi D, Cecchi C, Cosci F, DAdamo D . The Sesto Fiorentino study: point and one-year prevalences of psychiatric disorders in an Italian community sample using clinical interviewers. Psychother Psychosom. 2004; 73(4):226-34. DOI: 10.1159/000077741. View

13.

Slade T . The descriptive epidemiology of internalizing and externalizing psychiatric dimensions. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2007; 42(7):554-60. DOI: 10.1007/s00127-007-0200-5. View

14.

BIRD H, Gould M, Yager T, Staghezza B, Canino G . Risk factors for maladjustment in Puerto Rican children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1989; 28(6):847-50. DOI: 10.1097/00004583-198911000-00006. View

15.

Burke K, Burke Jr J, Regier D, Rae D . Age at onset of selected mental disorders in five community populations. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1990; 47(6):511-8. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1990.01810180011002. View

16.

Goodman R, Ford T, Richards H, Gatward R, Meltzer H . The Development and Well-Being Assessment: description and initial validation of an integrated assessment of child and adolescent psychopathology. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2000; 41(5):645-55. View

17.

Fleitlich-Bilyk B, Goodman R . Prevalence of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders in southeast Brazil. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2004; 43(6):727-34. DOI: 10.1097/01.chi.0000120021.14101.ca. View

18.

Fombonne E . The Chartres Study: I. Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among French school-age children. Br J Psychiatry. 1994; 164(1):69-79. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.164.1.69. View

19.

Ezpeleta L, Guillamon N, Granero R, de la Osa N, Domenech J, Moya I . Prevalence of mental disorders in children and adolescents from a Spanish slum. Soc Sci Med. 2006; 64(4):842-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.10.031. View

20.

Verhulst F, van der Ende J, Ferdinand R, Kasius M . The prevalence of DSM-III-R diagnoses in a national sample of Dutch adolescents. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1997; 54(4):329-36. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1997.01830160049008. View