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Prevalence rate of DSM mental disorders among adolescents living in residential group homes of the French child welfare system
- Authors:
- BRONSARD Guillaume, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 33(10), October 2011, pp.1886-1890.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The rate of mental disorders in children and young people in the child welfare system worldwide is known to be very high. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of some major mental disorders among adolescents living in a residential group home in France, and the distribution of these disorders by gender. The participants included 183 adolescents living in residential group homes in the county of Bouches-du-Rhône. A structured psychiatric Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children was used to assess diagnoses of the following over the previous 6 months: anxiety disorder; major depression; conduct disorder; eating disorder; enuresia; psychosis screen; and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The existence of suicide attempts during the lifetime of each child was also assessed. The results indicated that 48.6% of the participants had at least one psychiatric disorder during the last 6 months, and 23% reported lifetime suicide attempts. Females were more affected than boys with 64.9% having at least one disorder compared to 36.8% of boys. The article concludes that the prevalence of mental disorders in adolescents living in French residential group homes is 2.5 to 3.5 times higher than in the overall population.