Trends in comorbid physical and mental health conditions in children from 1999 to 2017 in England

Introduction Children with long-term physical health conditions (pLTCs) are at increased risk of mental health conditions but less is known about time trends in the mental health of this group of children. Methods We used data from three comparable, population-based surveys of children conducted in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European child & adolescent psychiatry 2024-01, Vol.33 (1), p.33-38
Main Authors: Panagi, Laura, Newlove-Delgado, Tamsin, White, Simon R., Bennett, Sophie, Heyman, Isobel, Shafran, Roz, Ford, Tamsin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Child
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Child, Preschool
Children
Comorbidity
England - epidemiology
Health status
Humans
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mental disorders
Mental Disorders - epidemiology
Mental Disorders - psychology
Mental Health
Original Contribution
Parents - psychology
Psychiatry
Regression analysis
Trends
Well being
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Summary:Introduction Children with long-term physical health conditions (pLTCs) are at increased risk of mental health conditions but less is known about time trends in the mental health of this group of children. Methods We used data from three comparable, population-based surveys of children conducted in 1999, 2004, and 2017. We examined whether the proportion of children aged 5–15 years old with comorbid mental health conditions (measured using the multi-informant Development and Well-being Assessment tool) and pLTCs (measured using parental report) in England increased from 1999 to 2017 using linear regression analysis. Results Our analysis used data from 8662 (1999), 6401 (2004) and 6219 (2017) children, respectively. The proportion of children with comorbid pLTCs and psychiatric disorders was 0.050 (95% CI = 0.045, 0.055) in 1999, 0.054 (95% CI = 0.049, 0.060) in 2004, and 0.059 (95% CI = 0.053, 0.065) in 2017. The linear regression model revealed a non-significant effect of time on the proportion of children with comorbid pLTCs and psychiatric disorders from 1999 to 2017 ( B  = 0.0004785; SE = 0.0001256; p  = 0.163). Conclusion The estimated prevalence of school-aged children with comorbid pLTCs and mental health conditions in England remained stable since 1999, highlighting the need to prioritize mental health resources for children with physical health comorbidities.
ISSN:1018-8827
1435-165X
1435-165X
DOI:10.1007/s00787-022-02112-5