title: Risk-behaviour screening for identifying adolescents with mental health problems in Europe.
abstract: Indicated prevention of mental illness is an important public health concern among youth. The aim of this study was to establish a European school-based professional screening among adolescents, which included variables on both a broad range of risk-behaviours and psychopathology; and to investigate the indicative value of adolescent risk-behaviour and self-reported psychopathology on help-seeking and psychological problems that required subsequent mental healthcare. A two-stage professional screening approach was developed and performed within the multi-centre study "Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe" (SEYLE). The first stage of screening comprised a self-report questionnaire on a representative sample of 3,070 adolescents from 11 European countries. In the second stage, students deemed at-risk for mental health problems were evaluated using a semi-structured clinical interview performed by healthcare professionals. 61 % of participants (n = 1,865) were identified as being at-risk in stage one. In stage two, 384 participants (12.5 % of the original sample) were found to require subsequent mental healthcare during semi-structured, clinical assessment. Among those, 18.5 % of pupils were identified due to screening for psychopathology alone; 29.4 % due to screening for risk-behaviours alone; and 52.1 % by a combination of both. Young age and peer victimization increased help-seeking, while very low body mass index, depression, suicidal behaviour and substance abuse were the best predictors of referral to mental healthcare. Screening of risk-behaviours significantly increased the number of detected students requiring subsequent mental healthcare. Screening of risk-behaviours added significant value in identifying the significant amount of European pupils with mental health problems. Therefore, attention to adolescent risk-behaviours in addition to psychopathology is critical in facilitating prevention and early intervention. Identifying factors that increase compliance to clinical interviews are crucial in improving screening procedures.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre of Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Blumenstrasse 8, 69115, Heidelberg, Germany, michael.kaess@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaess
authors.forename: Romuald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brunner
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parzer
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Carli
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Apter
authors.forename: Judit A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Balazs
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bobes
authors.forename: Horia G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Coman
authors.forename: Doina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cosman
authors.forename: Padraig
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cotter
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Durkee
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Farkas
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haring
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iosue
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Keeley
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Podlogar
authors.forename: Vita
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Postuvan
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Resch
authors.forename: Pilar A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Sáiz
authors.forename: Merike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sisask
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tubiana
authors.forename: Peeter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Värnik
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarchiapone
authors.forename: Christina W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hoven
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wasserman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D008603:Mental Health; D012309:Risk-Taking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires