According to a first national study, published Tuesday, June 20 by Public Health France (SPF), among school children aged 6 to 11, 13% have at least one probable mental health disorder. Previously, data on child well-being was old or patchy. However, the Covid-19 health crisis has highlighted the importance of developing monitoring of the prevalence of mental health problems in young children.
The “Enabee” study was conducted in mainland France from May 2 to July 31, 2022 using specific questionnaires with more than 15,000 children and teachers in nearly 400 schools, as well as 10,000 parents. Main lesson: 13% of children aged 6 to 11 have at least one probable mental health problem. This is a prevalence rate of the same order as those observed in other European countries in the same age group.
“The majority of children only suffer from one disorder, but some can combine several,” Nolwenn Regnault, head of the perinatal, early childhood and mental health unit at SPF, told AFP.
In detail, 5.6% of children have a “probable emotional disorder”, either an anxiety disorder (separation anxiety, generalized anxiety, specific phobias) or depression. 6.6% of children have “probable oppositional disorder” (a particularly angry mood, quarrelsome or defiant behavior). Finally, 3.2% have probable persistent inattention and/or hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Probable emotional disorders are more frequent in girls, behavioral disorders more frequent in boys. The data do not highlight differences by school level and school sector (public schools outside the priority education networks (REP) and private schools versus REP or REP public schools).
Measured during the health crisis, the indicators do not make it possible to estimate a possible impact of Covid-19, in the absence of data prior to the crisis on this age group. This is a “first step” which provides “lighting to public decision-makers for future awareness-raising actions”, commented Stéphanie Monnier-Besnard, epidemiologist and project manager of the Enabee study.
Repeated regularly, the study will make it possible to follow the evolution of the indicators, to evaluate the impact of possible events (infectious, environmental, etc.), to initiate preventive actions.
