Trends in adolescent emotional problems in England: a comparison of two national cohorts twenty years apart
- 31 July 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
- Vol. 51 (8), 885-894
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02252.x
Abstract
Background: Evidence about trends in adolescent emotional problems (depression and anxiety) is inconclusive, because few studies have used comparable measures and samples at different points in time. We compared rates of adolescent emotional problems in two nationally representative English samples of youth 20 years apart using identical symptom screens in each survey. Methods: Nationally representative community samples of 16-17-year-olds living in England in 1986 and 2006 were compared. In 1986, 4524 adolescents and 7120 parents of young people participated in the age-16-year follow-up of the 1970 British Cohort Study. In 2006, 719 adolescents and 734 parents participated in a follow-up of children sampled from the 2002/2003 Health Surveys for England. Adolescents completed the Malaise Inventory and 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Parents completed the Rutter-A scale. Individual symptoms of depression and anxiety were coded combining across relevant questionnaire items. Young people also reported frequency of feeling anxious or depressed. Results: Youth- and parent-reported emotional problems were more prevalent in 2006 for girls, and rates of parent-reported problems increased for boys. Twice as many young people reported frequent feelings of depression or anxiety in 2006 as in 1986. Some symptoms showed marked change in prevalence over time (e.g., worry, irritability, fatigue), whereas others showed no change (e.g., loss of enjoyment, worthlessness). There was no evidence of differential trends in emotional problems for young people from socially advantaged and disadvantaged or intact and non-intact families. Changes in family structure and ethnic composition did not account for trends in youth emotional problems. Conclusions: The study provides evidence for a substantial increase in adolescent emotional problems in England over recent decades, especially among girls.Keywords
This publication has 34 references indexed in Scilit:
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersPsychiatry Research, 2011
- GHQ increases among Scottish 15 year olds 1987–2006Social psychiatry. Sozialpsychiatrie. Psychiatrie sociale, 2008
- Suicide in juveniles and adolescents in the United KingdomJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2008
- Trends in U.S. Emergency Department Visits for Anxiety-Related Mental Health Conditions, 1992-2001The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2008
- Is there an epidemic of child or adolescent depression?Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2006
- Depression treatment during outpatient visits by U.S. children and adolescentsJournal of Adolescent Health, 2005
- The Link between Depression in Mothers and Offspring: An Extended Twin AnalysisBehavior Genetics, 2005
- Lifetime Prevalence and Age-of-Onset Distributions of DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey ReplicationArchives of General Psychiatry, 2005
- Service Contacts Among the Children Participating in the British Child and Adolescent Mental Health SurveysChild and Adolescent Mental Health, 2005
- Trends in adolescent suicide mortality in the WHO European RegionEuropean Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2004