Geographic & Sociodemographic Patterns in Prevalence of Mental Health Conditions Among Children

In a study titled Mental Health Conditions Among School-Aged Children: Geographic and Sociodemographic Patterns in Prevalence and Treatment the authors have provided state-level estimates of the prevalence of diagnosed pediatric emotional and behavioral mental health conditions and treatment received by children and adolescents ages 6-17 with these diagnoses. "Our results show significant variation in the prevalence of diagnosed mental health conditions among children and youth by state of residence in addition to documented sociodemographic and health-related factors. In contrast, receipt of treatment was more strongly related to socioeconomic and health-related factors," write the authors of an article published in the January 2012 issue of the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. The prevalence of mental health conditions and potential for both long-term and widespread negative impacts underscore the importance of early identification and treatment. Identifying variations in the prevalence of diagnosed mental health conditions and the receipt of treatment among this population may help to illustrate disparities and to highlight examples where policies and systems could better support both identification and treatment of children and adolescents with mental health problems.

Data for the study came from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health. Mental health conditions were identified using parents' responses to three questions about whether a doctor or health professional had ever told them that their child had depression, anxiety problems, or behavioral or conduct problems. Receipt of treatment was determined by parents' report of whether their child had received any treatment or counseling from a mental health professional in the past 12 months. Although state of residence was the primary covariate of interest, seven sociodemographic and health-related variables shown to be associated with mental health conditions and access to treatment in previous research were also assessed: child's or adolescent's sex, age, race and ethnicity, poverty status, insurance type, health status, and maternal health status.

The authors found that

• Nearly 8 percent of children and adolescents ages 6-17 had ever been diagnosed with depression or anxiety, and 5.4 percent had ever been diagnosed with behavioral or conduct problems, according to parental report.
• Lifetime prevalence of parent-reported depression or anxiety varied significantly by state of residence, ranging from 4.8 percent in Georgia to 14.4 percent in Vermont.
• Lifetime prevalence of parent-reported behavioral or conduct problems ranged from 3.2 percent in California to 9.2 percent in Louisiana.
• Regardless of diagnosis, nearly 10 percent of all children and adolescents and 53.1 percent of those who had ever been diagnosed with an emotional or behavioral condition received mental health treatment or counseling within the past year, according to parental report.
• The odds of receiving past-year parent-reported treatment did not differ by state of residence with the exception of Louisiana and Nevada: children and adolescents ever diagnosed had more than two times the odds of not receiving past-year treatment in these states.

The authors conclude that "further research at both the state and national levels is needed to determine how different approaches to the provision and financing of mental health services may affect both the prevalence of diagnosis and access to treatment for these conditions."

Read the abstract of the study.

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