Liu Yubo, Ren Yijun, Liu Chenxi, Chen Xiaoli, Li Danlei, Peng Jia, Tan Liao, Ma Qilin
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Psychol Med. 2025 Mar 18;55:e90. doi: 10.1017/S0033291725000649.
Childhood and adolescence are vulnerable periods for mental disorders, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health challenges in this population. We aimed to estimate changes in the global burden of mental disorders among children and adolescents before and during the pandemic.
Using data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2021, we analyzed incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for mental disorders in individuals aged 5-24. Annual percent changes in age-standardized rates were calculated, and a Bayesian age-period-cohort model estimated the expected and additional burden based on pre-pandemic trends.
In 2021, an estimated 123.0 million new cases of mental disorders were reported among children and adolescents, with an 11.8% average annual increase in the age-standardized incidence rate during the pandemic. Anxiety disorders, which previously ranked third, became the leading cause of nonfatal disability (12.9 million [8.0-19.3] YLDs), while depressive disorders rose to fourth place (10.9 million [6.8-16.5] YLDs). The burden grew in most regions, especially among females, those aged 15-24, and in high sociodemographic index (SDI) areas. Based on pre-pandemic data, we estimated an additional burden of 795.0, 165.9, and 622.8 new cases per 100,000 population for total mental disorders, anxiety disorders, and depressive disorders globally in 2021, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between additional burden and SDI levels.
These findings highlight the increased burden of mental disorders among children and adolescents during the pandemic, emphasizing the need for targeted post-pandemic mental health support.
儿童和青少年时期是精神障碍的易感阶段，而新冠疫情加剧了这一人群的心理健康挑战。我们旨在评估疫情前及疫情期间全球儿童和青少年精神障碍负担的变化。
利用《2021年全球疾病负担研究》的数据，我们分析了5至24岁个体精神障碍的发病率、患病率和伤残调整生命年（YLDs）。计算了年龄标准化率的年度百分比变化，并采用贝叶斯年龄-时期-队列模型根据疫情前趋势估计预期负担和额外负担。
2021年，估计儿童和青少年中有1.23亿例新发精神障碍病例，疫情期间年龄标准化发病率平均每年增长11.8%。此前排名第三的焦虑症成为非致命性残疾的主要原因（1290万[800 - 1930万]伤残调整生命年），而抑郁症升至第四位（1090万[680 - 1650万]伤残调整生命年）。大多数地区的负担都有所增加，尤其是女性、15至24岁人群以及社会人口学指数（SDI）较高的地区。根据疫情前的数据，我们估计2021年全球每10万人口中，精神障碍、焦虑症和抑郁症的额外病例负担分别为795.0、165.9和622.8例。Spearman相关性分析显示额外负担与SDI水平之间存在显著正相关。
这些发现凸显了疫情期间儿童和青少年精神障碍负担的增加，强调了疫情后针对性心理健康支持的必要性。
