A systematic review of reviews of interventions to promote mental health and prevent mental health problems in children and young people
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17465729200700005 |
| Date | 01 March 2007 |
| Published date | 01 March 2007 |
| Pages | 25-32 |
| Author | Ruth Tennant,Cristina Goens,Jane Barlow,Crispin Day,Sarah Stewart‐Brown |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
There is a growing policy imperativeto promote positivemental health as well as prevent the
development of mental health problems in children.This paper summarises the findings of published
systematic reviews evaluating such interventions. A search was undertaken of ten electronic databases
using a combination of medical subject headings (MeSH) and free text searches. Systematic reviews
covering mental health promotion or mental illness prevention interventions aimed at infants, children
or young people up to age 19 were included.Reviews of drug and alcohol prevention programmes
and programmes to prevent childhood abuse and neglect were excluded because these have been
the subject of recent good quality reviews of reviews.A total of 27 systematic reviews were included.
These targeted a range of risk and protective factors, and a range of populations (including parents
and children).While many lacked methodological rigour, overall the evidence is strongly suggestive
of the effectiveness of a range of interventions in promoting positive mental well-being, and reducing
key risk factors for mental illness in children. Based on this evidence,arguments are advanced for the
preferential provision of early preventive programmes.
Asystematic review of reviews
of interventions to promote
mental health and prevent
mental health problems in
children and young people
Ruth Tennant
Public health specialist
trainee
University of Warwick
Cristina Goens
Research associate
University of Warwick
Jane Barlow
Reader in public health
University of Warwick
Crispin Day
Head of Child and
Adolescent Mental
Health Service
Research Unit
South London and
Maudsley NHS Trust
Sarah Stewart-Brown
Professor of
public health
University of Warwick
Correspondence to:
Jane Barlow
Reader in public health
Warwick Medical School
University of Warwick
Coventry CV4 7AL
Jane.Barlow@
warwick.ac.uk
REVIEW
25
Around one in 10 children in the UK
aged between five and 15 have a
mental health problem. Rates are
higher for boys than girls: 11.4% of
boys have a diagnosed condition,
compared with 7.6% of girls (Melzer, 2000). The
most common mental health conditions for children
and young people are emotional disorders
(depression, anxiety and obsessions), hyperactivity
(inattention and over-activity), and conduct
disorders (awkward, troublesome, aggressive and
antisocial behaviour). Rates for all conditions
increase with age: around 8% of children aged 5–10
and 12% of children aged 11–15 have a mental
health problem. Rates vary with ethnicity: they are
highest in black children (12%) and lowest in
Indian children (4%) (Melzer, 2000).
The long-term consequences of mental health
problems in childhood are considerable. At 33
years, adults who had conduct disorder in
childhood are more likely than their peers to be on
benefits or homeless, to have been a teenage
parent, and to suffer poorer health (Collishaw,
2004). At age 33, nearly 11% of adults who had
conduct disorder in childhood are unemployed;
this is the case for just 3.7% of those without
conduct disorder (Collishaw,2004).
Arange of biological, environmental and
psychological risk and protective factors are
amenable to intervention, and evidence of the
effectiveness of interventions is growing (WHO,
2004). This paper reports the results of a systematic
review of reviews of interventions aimed at
minimising risk factors or maximising protective
journal of public mental health
vol 6 • issue 1
©Pavilion Journals (Br ighton) Ltd
Keywords
children and young
people
mental illness
prevention
mental health
promotion
systematic review
effectiveness
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