TY  - JOUR
A1  - Scheiner, Christin
A1  - Grashoff, Jan
A1  - Kleindienst, Nikolaus
A1  - Buerger, Arne
T1  - Mental disorders at the beginning of adolescence: Prevalence estimates in a sample aged 11-14 years
JF  - Public Health in Practice
N2  - Objectives
This study aims to provide a deeper insight into mental disorders in early adolescence. We report prevalence rates (mental health problems, depressive symptoms, eating disorders, NSSI, STBs) to be used in future studies and clinical ventures. We also expected to find gender differences, with girls being be more affected than boys are.
Study design
877 adolescents (M = 12.43, SD = 0.65) from seven German high schools completed a series of questionnaires assessing their mental health (SDQ, PHQ-9, SEED, DSHI-9, Paykel Suicide Scale, FAS III).
Methods
We calculated cut-off-based prevalence estimates for mental health issues for the whole sample and compared estimates between genders.
Results
12.5% of the sample reported general mental health problems. The estimated prevalence of depressive symptoms lay at of 11.5%. Additionally, 12.1% and 1.3% of the participants displayed relevant symptoms of anorexia or bulimia nervosa, respectively. A total of 10.8% reported engaging in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) at least once in their lifetime, of whom 5.6% reported repetitive NSSI. 30.1% of the participants described suicidal thoughts, 9.9% suicide plans, and 3.5% at least one suicide attempt. Girls were generally more affected than boys, except for bulimia nervosa, suicidal behavior, and partly NSSI.
Conclusion
Our findings corroborate the established relevance of early adolescence for the development of mental health problems and suggest that a substantial proportion of young adolescents suffer from such problems early on. Considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and reported negative mental health consequences, the current findings underline the importance of preventive interventions to avoid the manifestation of mental disorders during adolescence.
KW  - STBS
KW  - depression
KW  - eating disorders
KW  - mental health
KW  - adolescence
KW  - prevalence
KW  - NSSI
Y1  - 2022
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-300404
VL  - 4
ER  -