Prevalence and impact of parent-reported disabling mental health conditions among U.S. children.
OBJECTIVE
To provide a current national profile of the prevalence and impact of parent-reported disabling mental health conditions in U.S. children.


METHODS
A cross-sectional descriptive analysis of 99,513 children younger than 18 years old included in the 1992-1994 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The response rate exceeded 94% in each year. Disability is defined as the long-term reduction in a child's ability to perform social role activities, such as school or play, as a result of his/her mental health condition.


RESULTS
On average, 2.1% of U.S. children were reported to suffer from a disabling mental health condition in 1992-1994. The most common reported causes of disability include mental retardation, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and learning disabilities. While national prevalence estimates were produced for some low-prevalence conditions such as autism (38/100,000), for many specific diagnoses the reported prevalence rates were too low for accurate national population estimates using this data set. Logistic regression analysis demonstrates that prevalence of a disabling mental health condition was higher for older children; males; children from low-income, single-parent families; and those with less education. These conditions are also associated with high rates of special education participation (approximately 80%) and health system use.


CONCLUSIONS
The NHIS provides a useful and untapped resource for estimating the prevalence of disabling mental health conditions. These conditions are increasingly prevalent and have a profound impact on children and the educational and health care systems.
Halfon
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Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, USA. nhalfon@ucla.edu
Newacheck
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PW
D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D004493:Education; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008605:Mental Health Services; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology