Mental disorders cause substantial distress for children, and for their families. They also constitute one of the leading causes of childhood disability globally. Compounding the challenges, among children who meet diagnostic criteria for one disorder, 26.5% meet criteria for two or more.

Beyond prioritizing the prevention of childhood mental disorders generally, it is particularly important to prevent concurrent disorders given the added harms they cause. One effective approach entails expanding delivery of the many proven programs for preventing common conditions such as childhood anxiety, behaviour and substance use problems. Building on protective factors is another effective approach. For example, helping young people develop positive relationships with their parents has been found to protect against developing anxiety disorders.

For more information, see Vol. 17, No. 2 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.