Has the prevalence of mental health problems of children and adolescents increased in recent 50 years? Systematic review and meta-analysis of repeated cross-sectional studies
Abstract
Background: The treatment prevalence of mental health problems among children and adolescents has risen significantly in recent decades. It is unclear whether the increase in treatment prevalence is caused by changes in epidemiological prevalence. Method: A systematic review and meta-analysis of repeated cross-sectional studies involving children and adolescents up to the age of 18 was conducted. The review included studies from around the world that were carried out using identical study designs at least twice in the same region. Results: 58 publications were included, with data collected between 1973 and 2023. The overall odds ratio for changes in prevalence was 1.38 (95% confidence interval 1.26–1.52). This corresponds to a risk ratio of 1.32. The odds ratio for females was 1.47 (95% CI: 1.28–1.70), and the odds ratio for males was 1.25 (95% CI: 1.09–1.43). The greatest increase in prevalence was observed in the pandemic decade of 2020. Discussion: The overall result corresponds to a 3.7% increase in prevalence over the entire 50-year period. This can be interpreted as a minor increase. Conclusion: The rise in psychiatric treatment for children and adolescents is not primarily due to an increase in epidemiological prevalence.
Related
- Prevalence and Associated Factors of Self‐Medication Among Late Adolescents in Urban Dhaka, Bangladesh: A Cross‐Sectional Study
- Prevalence and risk factors of elopement behavior in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Mental health problems in a large representative sample of children and adolescents: Prevalence, associations with problematic substance use and psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.
- Prevalence and risk factors of mental disorders in a cross-sectional study of adolescents in South China.
- Dental caries among 12-year-old adolescents in shanghai: a cross-sectional study on prevalence, severity, and associated risk factors
BibTeX
@misc{richter2026prevalence,
title = {{Has the prevalence of mental health problems of children and adolescents increased in recent 50 years? Systematic review and meta-analysis of repeated cross-sectional studies}},
author = {Dirk Richter and Philipp Kerksieck and Christian Lauvrud and Anja I. Lehmann and Richard Whittington and Tom Whittington and Abbie Dickinson},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/zw5y9_v2},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/zw5y9_v2/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Has the prevalence of mental health problems of children and adolescents increased in recent 50 years? Systematic review and meta-analysis of repeated cross-sectional studies
AU - Dirk Richter
AU - Philipp Kerksieck
AU - Christian Lauvrud
AU - Anja I. Lehmann
AU - Richard Whittington
AU - Tom Whittington
AU - Abbie Dickinson
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/03
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/zw5y9_v2
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/zw5y9_v2/
AB - Background: The treatment prevalence of mental health problems among children and adolescents has risen significantly in recent decades. It is unclear whether the increase in treatment prevalence is caused by changes in epidemiological prevalence. Method: A systematic review and meta-analysis of repeated cross-sectional studies involving children and adolescents up to the age of 18 was conducted. The review included studies from around the world that were carried out using identical study designs at least twice in the same region. Results: 58 publications were included, with data collected between 1973 and 2023. The overall odds ratio for changes in prevalence was 1.38 (95% confidence interval 1.26–1.52). This corresponds to a risk ratio of 1.32. The odds ratio for females was 1.47 (95% CI: 1.28–1.70), and the odds ratio for males was 1.25 (95% CI: 1.09–1.43). The greatest increase in prevalence was observed in the pandemic decade of 2020. Discussion: The overall result corresponds to a 3.7% increase in prevalence over the entire 50-year period. This can be interpreted as a minor increase. Conclusion: The rise in psychiatric treatment for children and adolescents is not primarily due to an increase in epidemiological prevalence.
ER -