BackgroundWhile research has described the profile of children with poor mental health, little is known about whether this profile and their needs have changed over time. Our aim was to investigate whether levels of difficulties and functional impact faced by children with a psychiatric disorder have changed over time, and whether sociodemographic and family correlates have changed.MethodsSamples were three national probability surveys undertaken in England in 1999, 2004 and 2017 including children aged 5–15 years. Psychiatric disorders were assessed using the Development and Well‐Being Assessment (DAWBA), a standardised multi‐informant diagnostic tool based on the tenth International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐10). The impact and difficulties of having a disorder (emotional, behavioural or hyperkinetic) were compared over time using total difficulty and impact scores from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Analyses explored the impact of having any disorder, as well as for each disorder separately. Regression analyses compared associations between disorders and sociodemographic factors over time.ResultsParent‐ and adolescent‐reported total SDQ difficulty and impact scores increased between 1999 and 2017 for children and adolescents with disorders. No differences were noted when using teacher ratings. No differences in total SDQ difficulty score were found for children without a disorder. Comparison of sociodemographic correlates across the surveys over time revealed that ethnic minority status, living in rented accommodation and being in the lowest income quintile had a weaker association with disorder in 2017 compared to 1999.ConclusionsOur study reveals a concerning trend; children with a disorder in 2017 experienced more severe difficulties and greater impact on functioning at school, home and in their daily lives, compared to children with a disorder in earlier decades. Research is needed to identify and understand factors that may explain the changing nature and level of need among children with a disorder.

中文翻译：

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1999年、2004年和2017年精神疾病儿童的特征：英国全国儿童心理健康调查分析


背景虽然研究描述了心理健康状况不佳的儿童的概况，但人们对这种概况及其需求是否随着时间的推移而发生变化知之甚少。我们的目的是调查患有精神疾病的儿童面临的困难程度和功能影响是否随着时间的推移而发生变化，以及社会人口统计学和家庭相关性是否发生了变化。方法样本是 1999 年、2004 年和 2017 年在英格兰进行的三项全国概率调查，其中包括儿童年龄 5-15 岁。使用发育和健康评估（DAWBA）评估精神疾病，这是一种基于第十种国际疾病分类（ICD-10）的标准化多信息诊断工具。使用优势和困难问卷 (SDQ) 中的总难度和影响分数来比较患有疾病（情绪、行为或运动过度）的影响和困难。分析探讨了任何疾病的影响，以及每种疾病的单独影响。回归分析比较了疾病与社会人口因素之间随时间变化的关联。结果 1999 年至 2017 年间，家长和青少年报告的患有疾病的儿童和青少年的 SDQ 总难度和影响分数有所增加。使用教师评分时没有发现差异。对于没有疾病的儿童，SDQ 总难度分数没有差异。对历次调查中社会人口统计学相关性的比较显示，与 1999 年相比，2017 年少数族裔身份、居住在出租房屋中以及处于收入最低五分位数与疾病的相关性较弱。结论我们的研究揭示了一个令人担忧的趋势；与前几十年相比，2017 年患有疾病的儿童经历了更严重的困难，对学校、家庭和日常生活的影响更大。需要进行研究来确定和理解可能解释患有疾病的儿童的性质和需求水平变化的因素。