Common mental disorders in a young urban population in Colombia.
BACKGROUND
There are few studies of mental ill health among young people in developing countries.


OBJECTIVE
To measure the prevalence of common mental disorders among low-income young people in the city of Cali, Colombia and to examine associations with violence and social capital.


METHODS
The Self-Reporting Questionnaire was administered to 1057 young people aged 15-25 years. Social capital, violence, alcoholism and socio-demographic variables were also measured.


RESULTS
We found 255 young people (24%) with common mental disorders. Being a woman, having limited education and experiencing high levels of violence were the main risk factors for common mental disorders. Social capital did not emerge as a risk factor.


CONCLUSIONS
A large burden of mental ill health among young people was found; this requires urgent interventions and more research on the mechanisms which link mental health and violence.
Harpham
Trudy
T
London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA, UK. t.harpham@lsbu.ac.uk
Snoxell
Simon
S
Grant
Emma
E
Rodriguez
Carlos
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health; D014754:Violence