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DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS AMONG CHILDREN IN THE TRANSFORMING CHINA: AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF PREVALENCE, CORRELATES, AND SERVICE USE
Author(s) -
Zhong Baoliang,
Ding Jun,
Chen Honghui,
Li Yi,
Xu Hanming,
Tong Jun,
Wang Anqi,
Tang Guangzong,
Zhu Jiasheng,
Yang Dongquan,
Liu Bo,
Wang Qiang,
Cheng Wufu,
Yin E.,
Xu Meijun,
Zhang Tao,
Hu Tianming,
Feng Xiaowei,
Li Hui,
Dan Tangqun,
Cheng Gangming,
Zhang Jianfang,
Li Hongjie,
Zhu Junhong
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
depression and anxiety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.634
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6394
pISSN - 1091-4269
DOI - 10.1002/da.22109
Subject(s) - grandparent , depression (economics) , psychological intervention , mental health , epidemiology , medicine , public health , psychiatry , family medicine , psychology , developmental psychology , nursing , economics , macroeconomics
Background To date, no one‐phase survey of childhood depression has been performed in China that involves both urban and rural community children. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence, correlates, and mental health service utilization of depressive disorders (DDs) in a community‐based sample of 6–14‐year‐old children in south‐central China. Methods Children (3,582) were approached through multistage sampling and interviewed using a Chinese version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents 5.0, which is a structured interview that is administered by trained psychiatrists to obtain information from children and their guardians. Results The overall prevalence of all current DDs was found to be 2.8% (95%CI: 1.5–3.9). The risk factors for depression included being 9–14‐year old, not attending school, having unmarried parents, living in a nonnuclear family (single parent or parentless family), being taken care of by people other than two parents (single parent, grandparent(s), other relatives, or others) during the past year, and not being breastfed prior to 1 year of age. Only 5.8% of the depressed children had received professional help prior to the interview. Conclusions The prevalence of DDs among children in this part of China is relatively high compared with most figures reported in other countries. Depression in this age group has been a major public health concern, but it is often underrecognized. There is an urgent need to develop efficacious interventions aimed at the prevention and early recognition of childhood depression.