Risks and resources for mental health of children and adolescents

Abstract

Children's and adolescents' mental health is an epidemiological outcome of considerable public health relevance. This is based on a comparably high prevalence of mental health problems and disorders in children and adolescents. The supplementary study 'Mental Health', which is a modular part of the Health Survey for Children and Adolescents conducted by the Robert Koch Institute, aims at assessing the prevalence of specific mental health problems and disorders in a representative sample of children and adolescents in Germany. Furthermore, determinants of mental health will be studied in a developmental context. Screening to assess mental health problems will be performed in a representative sub-sample of the National Health Survey for Children and Adolescents. The sub-sample will comprise approximately 4,000 children and adolescents aged 7 to 17 years. Participants are interviewed once to assess the occurrence of risk factors and available assets (protective factors) for mental health, thus providing valuable data for health monitoring and planning (cross-sectional part of the study). A sub-group of this cross-sectional sample as well as an additional clinical sample are repeatedly studied in a longitudinal design. This part of the study is carried out to estimate the effect size of risk and protective factors on mental health, and to analyse their combined effects on the developmental process. From the findings, clues to effective prevention and intervention strategies can be derived.