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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 4/2008

01-04-2008 | ORIGINAL PAPER

Recent trends in UK child and adolescent mental health

Authors: Barbara Maughan, Stephan Collishaw, Howard Meltzer, Robert Goodman

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 4/2008

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Abstract

Background

Past studies have documented rising levels of conduct problems among UK adolescents in the last quarter of the twentieth century, and increased rates of emotional difficulties between the 1980s and 1990s.

Method

We used parent, teacher and youth ratings from two large scale, nationally representative studies of 5–15 year-old carried out in 1999 and 2004 to assess whether these increases continued into the early years of the new millennium.

Results

Ratings on most “problem” sub-scales remained stable or showed small declines over this period, and parent and teacher reports suggested small increases in levels of prosocial behaviours.

Conclusions

The upward trends in rates of UK child adjustment problems noted since the 1970s and 1980s may have plateaued, and possibly begun to be reversed.
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Metadata
Title
Recent trends in UK child and adolescent mental health
Authors
Barbara Maughan
Stephan Collishaw
Howard Meltzer
Robert Goodman
Publication date
01-04-2008
Publisher
D. Steinkopff-Verlag
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 4/2008
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-008-0310-8

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