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Published in: European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2/2021

01-02-2021 | Original Contribution

The prevalence of behavioral and emotional problems among Chinese school children and adolescents aged 6–16: a national survey

Authors: Yonghua Cui, Fenghua Li, James F. Leckman, Lanting Guo, Xiaoyan Ke, Jing Liu, Yi Zheng, Ying Li

Published in: European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry | Issue 2/2021

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Abstract

Improving the mental health of children and adolescents is a critical priority in China. However, only minimal information is available concerning the prevalence of mental disorders. In the present study, a two-stage national survey has been completed in five regions of China. In the first stage, data from the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) were collected for each participant to identify the prevalence of the behavioral and emotional problems in China. A multistage cluster stratified random sampling design was used, and a total of 71,929 individuals aged 6–16 years were collected. In this large cohort, 36,893 (49.86%) were males, and 49,015 (66.24%) were living in urban communities. Overall, 17.6% (90% confidence interval 17.4%, 17.9%) of the children and adolescents were identified as having behavioral and emotional problems. Moreover, age and sex effect was found for the CBCL scores. The boys’ cohort had a higher prevalence of behavioral and emotional problems than girls (18.6% versus 16.6%). In the older cohort aged 12–16, the prevalence was higher than for the younger cohort aged 6–11 (19.0% versus 15.9%). Notably, it seems that the prevalence of the behavioral and emotional problems for children and adolescents had a rise in the past 30 years, but the scarcity of pediatric psychiatrists in China needs to be addressed. To reduce the behavioral and emotional problems, the whole society, including mental health providers, educators, and parents, needs to focus on and pay more attention to it. It will have long-term benefits for China.
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Metadata
Title
The prevalence of behavioral and emotional problems among Chinese school children and adolescents aged 6–16: a national survey
Authors
Yonghua Cui
Fenghua Li
James F. Leckman
Lanting Guo
Xiaoyan Ke
Jing Liu
Yi Zheng
Ying Li
Publication date
01-02-2021
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry / Issue 2/2021
Print ISSN: 1018-8827
Electronic ISSN: 1435-165X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-020-01507-6

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