Child and Adolescent Mental Health in Northern Chile: A Prevalence Study

Assessing a wide range of mental health indicators in children and adolescents is essential for properly targeting resources at the most prevalent problems during these sensitive stages of development. Aim: To describe the prevalence of 23 mental health indicators in children and adolescents in the city of Arica. Methods: A total of 337 primary school students (43.7% girls) and 435 secondary school students (56.3% girls) participated in the study, completing the self-report questionnaire of the Assessment System for Children and Adolescents (SENA). Overall prevalence rates were calculated and disaggregated by sex and educational level. Results: The indicators with the highest prevalence of clinically significant cases were problems with peers (primary education=6.8%), aggression (primary education=6.0%; secondary education=5.8%), defiant behaviour (primary education=6.0%), anger management problems (secondary education=5.8%) and antisocial behaviour (secondary education=5.8%). When disaggregated by sex, relevant differences were observed: in primary education, girls had a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms (OR=6.04, 95% CI [1.32–27.70]) and anxiety symptoms (OR=6.04, 95% CI [1.32–27.70]) than boys; in secondary education, girls showed a higher prevalence of eating disorders (OR=8.42, 95% CI [1.90–37.30]) and somatic complaints (OR=5.99, 95% CI [1.72–20.90]). Conclusions: The results highlight the need for a differentiated assessment of child and adolescent mental health, taking into account both gender and educational level. The transition from primary to secondary school marks significant changes in symptom profiles and gender gaps, underscoring the importance of designing specific intervention strategies that are sensitive to these differences and targeted at clearly defined risk groups.