title: How many children in Australia are at risk of adult mental illness?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence of children in the Australian population with risk factors for adult mental illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Key risk factors and risk domains were identified from a 2013 review of longitudinal studies on child and adolescent determinants of adult mental illness. Data items were identified from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children that map onto the risk domains and were used to estimate the prevalence of these key individual risk factors and the magnitude of multiple risk in children aged 3 months to 13 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Even by infancy, risk factors for adult mental illness are highly prevalent, with 51.7% of infants having multiple risks. In 10 infants, 1 was born to mothers who consumed daily alcohol and 1 in 8 to mothers who smoked cigarettes daily during pregnancy. Also, 10.5% of infants were in families where the parents had separated, which increased to 18% in 10-11 year-olds. Psychological problems in the clinical range (based on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire total problems score) ranged from 7.8% to 9.7% across the 4-13 years age range. Risks from negative parenting behaviours were highly prevalent across age groups. Two-thirds of children aged 12-13 years had parents who displayed low warmth or exhibited high hostility/anger. Across childhood, one in seven children are in families exposed to 3+ major life stressors. By age 8-9 years, more than 18% of children are exposed to ⩾5 risk factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We find that modifiable risk factors for adult mental illness occur at the earliest stage in the life course and at greater prevalence than is commonly recognised. Considerable capacity will be required in child and adolescent mental health services and complementary family support programmes if risk factors for adult mental illness that are already apparent in infancy and childhood are to be addressed.
authors.affiliation: Health Economics and Social Policy Group, Centre for Population Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia sophie.guy@unisa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guy
authors.affiliation: Health Economics and Social Policy Group, Centre for Population Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: Gareth
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Furber
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leach
authors.affiliation: Health Economics and Social Policy Group, Centre for Population Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: Leonie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Segal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Australia; Mental illness; child; prevention; risk factors