“Mental health symptoms often come and go throughout childhood and adolescence, so we do not want to over-rely on symptom levels at one point in time. We decided to investigate children who had persistent reports of mental health symptoms, regardless of whether they met the criteria for an official diagnosis,” said study lead author Dr Niamh Dooley from the RCSI Department of Psychiatry.
The study investigated how these patterns of childhood mental health influenced a variety of outcomes in late adolescence and early adulthood. The study examined aspects such as Leaving Certificate results, social isolation and how frequently they used health services as young adults, poor physical health issues (e.g., obesity, sleep difficulties), heavy substance use (alcohol, smoking), and/or the young person’s general feelings of well-being.
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Importantly, the researchers considered multiple sorts of childhood symptoms, such as whether a child’s symptoms were internalized (as in sadness and anxiety), externalized (as in hyperactivity and behavioral issues), or both.
Childhood Mental Health Linked to Adult Education, Economic, and Health Outcomes
“Over 50% of children with mental health issues had at least one educational or economic difficulty by young adulthood, compared to around 30% of those without mental health issues in childhood,” said Dr Dooley. “Our analysis shows that mental health problems in childhood are linked with a wide range of functional issues in adulthood, beyond the realms of mental health. And some groups were at particular risk for specific outcomes. For instance, females with persistent symptoms across childhood, particularly internalising symptoms, had very high rates of poor physical health by young adulthood,” said Dr Dooley.
The study discovered that children with externalising symptoms have a higher chance of heavy substance use as young adults. Internalising symptoms put children in their late teens and early twenties at the greatest risk of poor physical health.
“Over 50% of children with mental health issues had at least one educational or economic difficulty by young adulthood, compared to around 30% of those without mental health issues in childhood,” said Dr Dooley.
According to study co-author Professor Mary Cannon, RCSI Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Youth Mental Health, the findings highlight the need for better screening and treatment of mental health disorders in childhood and adolescence, which may prevent problems later in life.
“Our study shows that mental health symptoms in childhood can cast a long-lasting shadow on adult life,” said Professor Cannon. “If we understand more about which children in the general population are at greatest risk of poor outcomes, it will help to inform and improve early screening and approaches to support those children.”
Professor Cannon is a member of a working group charged with putting the “Sharing the Vision” mental health policy recommendations into action, with a special emphasis on enhancing young people’s transition from child to adult mental health treatment.
References:
- JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(9):e2336520. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.36520
Source: Medindia
