title: [Analysis of psychological distress between the paediatric population immigrant and resident in a Local Health Unit of Milan Province (Northern Italy)].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to figure out if there are differences in access to psychiatric services between Italian and immigrant paediatric populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  we analysed the data of the year 2012 from the Banca dati del disagio psichico, a database on psychological distress created by the Epidemiological Unit of the Local Health Unit Milan 1 (Lombardy, Northern Italy). The database is based on a data warehouse system that integrates health and social data, and gives the opportunity to calculate the prevalence rates of the main clusters of psychiatric diseases according to ICD-10 categories.
  
  
  METHODS
  the sample includes 162,197 residents younger than 18 years (minors), divided into 4 subgroups depending on the place of birth (Italy or abroad) and citizenship (Italian or foreign).
  
  
  METHODS
  we calculated the standardised treated prevalence of the 11 clusters of mental diseases in the 4 subgroups and evaluated the Standardised Prevalence Ratio (SPR) and their confidence intervals using as reference the Italian paediatric population with Italian citizenship.
  
  
  RESULTS
  in 2012, 7.2%minors were diagnosed a mental illness or accessed mental health services or were prescribed psychotropic medicines. We found the lowest SPRs of psychiatric illnesses in immigrants (0.91 born in Italy; 0.74 born abroad) and the higher in Italians born in foreign Countries (1.34). In particular, migrant minors born in Italy have lower SPR of developmental disorders (0.84) and behaviour and emotional disorders (0.68), but higher SPR of mental retardation (1.52) and anxiety disorders (1.36). Migrant minors born abroad have lower SPR of developmental disorders (0.52), but higher rates of mental retardation (1.30). Italians born in foreign Countries show a SPR for personality disorders and mental retardation of 4.86 and 2.02, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  immigrant minors have a lower prevalence of psychiatric diseases than Italian minors; however, Italians born in foreign Countries show a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders.
authors.forename: Maria Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gattoni
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Andreoni
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fonte
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Russo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008605:Mental Health Services; D015995:Prevalence; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*