Description: To carry the epidemiology theme a bit further think about the answer to this question: Are children and teens more anxious today than in the past (in previous generations)? Think about what you have heard or read in the media about this question and then think about whether you have seen any research data bearing on the question. Good research data is important as it should help us to decide whether things like the rates of Anxiety and Depression among north American children and youth are changing or have changed in ways that we should be thinking about. The article linked below discusses some data that bears on the incidence part of this question. Give it a read and then think about what it might suggest about how concerned and ready for intervention related action we should be in this area.
Source: More than 1 in 20 US children and teen have anxiety or depression, ScienceDaily.
Date: April 24, 2018
Article Links: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180424184119.htm
The research discussed in the article linked above points us in some important directions. It suggests that the rates of anxiety and depression among children and teens have been going up and that the burden this places on developing teens and their family’s needs to be understood and addressed. When such changes occur over a relatively short time line it is important to consider the possible social, family and community changes that may be contributing to the change as these changes may be very informative of possible opportunities for intervention, support and management of anxiety among children and teens. Very worth thinking about.
Questions for Discussion:
- What seems to be happening to the rate of anxiety among children and teens?
- What sorts of things might be contributing to the increase in anxiety among children and teens (in the US)?
- What sorts of support or intervention strategies should we be considering in relation to this apparent increase in anxiety levels among children and teens?
References (Read Further):
Bitsko, R. H., Holbrook, J. R., Ghandour, R. M., Blumberg, S. J., Visser, S. N., Perou, R., & Walkup, J. T. (2018). Epidemiology and Impact of Health Care Provider–Diagnosed Anxiety and Depression Among US Children. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.
January, J., Madhombiro, M., Chipamaunga, S., Ray, S., Chingono, A., & Abas, M. (2018). Prevalence of depression and anxiety among undergraduate university students in low-and middle-income countries: a systematic review protocol. Systematic reviews, 7(1), 57. https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-018-0723-8
Mortier, P., Cuijpers, P., Kiekens, G., Auerbach, R. P., Demyttenaere, K., Green, J. G., … & Bruffaerts, R. (2018). The prevalence of suicidal thoughts and behaviours among college students: a meta-analysis. Psychological medicine, 48(4), 554-565. https://nocklab.fas.harvard.edu/files/nocklab/files/28805169-mortier-2017.pdf
Bruffaerts, R., Mortier, P., Kiekens, G., Auerbach, R. P., Cuijpers, P., Demyttenaere, K., … & Kessler, R. C. (2018). Mental health problems in college freshmen: Prevalence and academic functioning. Journal of affective disorders, 225, 97-103. https://oakland.edu/Assets/Oakland/cetl/files-and-documents/Chairs/Articles/Nov2017_Bruffaerts2018.pdf
