Family Medicine and Community Health · Published 2025-12-01 · DOI 10.1136/fmch-2025-003441
Objective To analyse trends in mental and substance use disorders among Asian children aged 5–14 years, identify key risk factors (eg, bullying, abuse, lead exposure) and compare gender/age disparities using Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 data.Design Cross-sectional analysis of the GBD 2021 database, focusing on prevalence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and risk factor associations.Setting Population-based study across Asian countries, examining the burdens of mental health, especially substance use disorders in high-prevalence regions.Participants Children aged 5–14 years in Asia, with gender-stratified subgroups (boys vs girls).Result Anxiety, conduct disorders and autism were primary contributors to mental health burdens. Substance use disorders, though less prevalent, rose notably among boys. Girls showed higher burdens of anxiety/depressive disorders. Bullying and childhood abuse were strongly linked to these conditions. Gender disparities in DALYs highlighted boys’ vulnerability to substance use and girls to internalising disorders.Conclusion Urgent, region-specific interventions are needed to address bullying, lead exposure and abuse, with gender-sensitive strategies. The study calls for targeted research and policies to mitigate rising mental health challenges in Asian children.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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