Mental disorders in childhood and adolescence: a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological data.

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders in children and adolescents are widespread and can have lasting effects on their emotional, social, and academic growth. The present meta-analysis examines the global prevalence of mental disorders, revealing significant regional variability. METHODS: The present systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature used the PRISMA-2020 statement and the protocol was registered and is publicly available in PROSPERO. Data were retrieved from different databases, specifically PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and PsycINFO. The search for relevant studies, and the quality assessment of the included studies was carried out independently by two researchers, while discrepancies were resolved through discussion with the third researcher, who verified the assessments and contributed to the consensus. RESULTS: The study included 37 original research articles with a total number of 1,599,337 participants who were diagnosed with mental disorders by DSM or ICD. The results showed extreme heterogeneity. In Asia, the prevalence was 14.53% (I2 = 99.76%), while in Africa, it was reported to be 9.86% (I2 = 78.83%). America showed the highest prevalence, 30.64% (I2 = 99.95%), and Europe also demonstrated similar results, 30.44% (I2 = 99.99%). These findings are consistent with prior meta-analyses, which report varying global prevalence rates. The high heterogeneity of the findings makes future research necessary to explore the sources of variability. CONCLUSIONS: Mental disorders impact a significant segment of global youth population, with notable differences among regions and types of disorders. Our findings emphasize the critical requirement for unified public health initiatives, early identification methods, and culturally relevant interventions focused on youth mental health. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.