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Prevalence and correlates of common mental disorders among children and adolescents in Blantyre-Urban, Malawi
Open accessAbstract
BackgroundThe high global prevalence of mental disorders justifies the need to quantify their burden in the sub-Saharan Africa where there is a dearth of information. These mental disorders are linked to different socio-demographic factors.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of, and factors associated with mental disorders among children and adolescents in Blantyre City, Malawi.Methods Children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years were interviewed to determine their socio-demographic characteristics and assess their mental health status using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS). Associations between mental disorders and socio-demographic characteristics were tested using Chi-square and logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe prevalence of symptoms of psychopathology on the SDQ was 7.3% (95%CI 4.8-10.5%) while for the K-SADS was 5.9% (95% CI 3.7%-8.9%). The prevalence of mental disorders across the age ranges of 6 to 12 years and 13 to 17 years was 5.4% and 7.9 % respectively. Males had a higher prevalence (7.1%) compared to females (4.7%). Conduct disorder was most prevalent (3.4%), followed by either type of ADHD- Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorders (2.0%). Having a single parent (p<0.001), staying with a non-biological guardian (p<0.030), engaging in paid work (p<0.039), not attending school (p<0.019) and having teacher difficulties(p<0.028) were positively associated with a mental disorder.ConclusionThe socio-demographic factors associated with the risk of developing mental disorders may be important targets for mental health intervention programs.
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The prevalence of common mental disorders in children and young people in Blantyre, Malawi appears similar to the prevalence reported by studies from WEIRD settings with similar socioeconomic risk factors.
“The prevalence of common mental disorders in children and young people in Blantyre, Malawi's finance and commercial centre, appears similar to the prevalence reported by studies from WEIRD settings with similar socioeconomic risk factors.”
From The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on youth mental health (2024) · cites this paper as [88]
The Conclusion (page unavailable) reports a 5.9% prevalence in Blantyre-Urban and says it is similar to findings from some studies in developed countries. The paper discusses sociodemographic correlates, but does not establish that the studies it compares had similar socioeconomic risk factors or identify them as WEIRD settings. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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Metadata
- Authors
- Matandika, I., Mategula, D., Kasenda, S., Adeniyi, Y., & Muula, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Ibadan (NG)
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme (MW)
- Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (MW)
- Venue
- Malawi Medical Journal
- Publisher
- African Journals Online (AJOL)
- Published
- 2022-07-01
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 105-110
- ISSN
- 1995-7262 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9356525
- OpenAlex
- W4283833005
- Cited by
- 17
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 2
- FWCI
- 2.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- Locations
- Malawi Medical Journal (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychology and Mental Health
- Keywords
- common mental disorders, children and adolescents, prevalence, sociodemographic risk factors, conduct disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, K-SADS, single-parent families, school absenteeism, teacher challenges, Blantyre, Malawi
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Mental Disorders, Child, Female, Humans, Malawi, Male, Schools, Prevalence
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