Instituto de Alta Investigación, Universidad de Tarapacá & Centro de Justicia Educacional, 1520, Antofagasta, Arica, Chile.
Escuela de Psicología y Filosofía, Universidad de Tarapacá, Centro de Justicia Educacional, CJE, Arica, Chile.
BMC Psychiatry. 2020 Mar 5;20(1):104. doi: 10.1186/s12888-020-02512-4.
Child and adolescent mental health has scarcely been studied in developing countries, though it is an important aspect of health. Mental health problems in youth often continue into adulthood if not diagnosed or treated in time.
The Sistema de Evaluación de Niños y Adolescentes (SENA) [Child and Adolescent Evaluation System] was used to evaluate mental health indicators in a sample of students in Northern Chile. Two age-appropriate versions of the assessment were applied to a total sample of 5043 students, which included an elementary education sample of 1953 schoolchildren from fourth grade through sixth grade (ages 8 to 13 years), and a Secondary School sample of 3090 schoolchildren from seventh grade (the last year of elementary school) through the last year of Secondary school (senior high school) (ages 12 to 19 years). For each group, the version of the assessment used was determined by the students' grade level. Both samples included municipal, government-subsidized, and private schools.
In this student population, depression, anxiety, and behavioral disorders were the main mental health problems identified, and indicators revealed a progressive increase in cases over the years, coinciding with the global epidemiological scenario. Males showed a greater presence of externalizing behaviors related to mental health problems associated with aggression and defiant behavior. However, females showed the highest number of mental health issues overall, especially regarding problems related to internalization. There are significant differences between school types.
Our sample population analysis indicates that early intervention is necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of youth, with the goal of reducing the probability that psychiatric disorders will be prolonged, evolving, and worsening in adulthood.
儿童和青少年心理健康在发展中国家几乎没有得到研究，尽管它是健康的一个重要方面。如果不及时诊断或治疗，青少年的心理健康问题往往会持续到成年期。
使用 Sistema de Evaluación de Niños y Adolescentes（SENA）[儿童和青少年评估系统]评估智利北部学生样本中的心理健康指标。对总共 5043 名学生应用了两种适合年龄的评估版本，其中包括来自四年级到六年级（8 至 13 岁）的 1953 名小学生的基础教育学龄儿童样本，以及来自七年级（小学最后一年）到高中最后一年（高中）的 3090 名中学生样本（12 至 19 岁）。对于每个群体，使用的评估版本由学生的年级决定。这两个样本都包括市立、政府补贴和私立学校。
在这个学生群体中，抑郁、焦虑和行为障碍是主要的心理健康问题，指标显示，随着时间的推移，这些问题的病例呈渐进式增加，与全球流行病学情况一致。男性表现出更多与心理健康问题相关的外化行为，与攻击和挑衅行为有关。然而，女性总体上表现出更多的心理健康问题，尤其是与内化相关的问题。不同类型的学校之间存在显著差异。
我们的样本人群分析表明，早期干预对于诊断和治疗青少年是必要的，目的是降低精神障碍在成年后延长、演变和恶化的可能性。
