Collecting minimally sufficient data on child and adolescent mental disorders in Indonesia
Adolescence is the typical time of onset of most major mental disorders of adulthood. Adolescent-onset disorders not only predict later life mental health problems, but also predict difficulties in future transitions through education to employment, quality-of-life, and economic independence. Despite the importance of adolescent-onset disorders, there is very little quality data available in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as Indonesia, on prevalence rates or risk factors. Global coverage of diagnostic data for child and adolescent mental disorders is poorer in Indonesia than for any other major health problem.
The core aims of this project are two-fold. The first aim is to determine the current representativeness, i.e. ‘coverage’, of existing prevalence data for child and adolescent mental disorders in in Indonesia. The second aim is to review and identify the risk factors for depression and anxiety in LMICs, with a specific focus on Indonesia and Southeast Asia. QCMHR’s involvement largely pertains to the first aim and builds on a previous study conducted by Dr Holly Erskine where the prevalence data used in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 was analysed to determine coverage for mental disorders in young people. This study revealed a significant number of ‘data deserts’, including Southeast Asia, where little or no prevalence data was available. This was despite these regions tending to have the highest proportions of children and adolescents in their populations.
In the current project, the coverage of mental disorder prevalence data for children and adolescents will be updated using data form the most recent iteration of the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD 2017). The this component of the project aims to highlight improvements in prevalence data coverage, ongoing data deserts, and provide evidence for the prioritisation of mental disorder prevalence surveys in children and adolescents in future.
In Partnership with
The University of Melbourne
Funded by
The Australia-Indonesia Centre via the University of Melbourne, NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (Holly Erskine – APP1137969)
Project Team
Ms Meaghan Enright (Research Assistant)
External project website
The Australia-Indonesia Centre Health Research Cluster
