Researchers tracked the rates of concurrent mental disorders for more than 600 Indigenous children to determine if there were changes as they reached adolescence. The children, who were living in one of eight Indigenous communities in Canada or the United States, were assessed when they were ages 10 to 12 years, and then again at ages 12 to 15. At the first time point, 9.2% met criteria for two mental disorders. By the second time point, this percentage had increased to 26.6%. This latter concurrence rate was similar to other populations of children — potentially reflecting the strength of Indigenous children, given that many faced added challenges, including limited service access and economic disadvantage.

For more information, see Vol. 17, No. 3 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.