[Mental Disorders of Adolescents in Boarding Schools: A Germany-Wide Survey].

Overall, research on children and adolescents in boarding schools is still scarce. Especially mental disorders of students in boarding schools have not been investigated. As part of this study, a standardized questionnaire survey helped to ask adolescents starting from the age of 15 in boarding schools about mental disorders and depressive symptoms. 169 adolescents from a total of twelve boarding schools in Germany participated in the study. The results of the present Germany-wide survey of adolescents in boarding schools show that the students are a group of rather inconspicuous adolescents, especially the group of boys. Girls show increased risk of depressive behavior and externalizing problems in comparison to the general population. Therefore, child and adolescent psychiatric care should be considered when placed in a boarding school.