MEASURING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF ADOLESCENTS IN KENYA, INDONESIA AND VIETNAM: THE NATIONAL ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH SURVEYS

Abstract

Background: In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), there are limited data on mental disorders among adolescents. To address this gap, the National Adolescent Mental Health Surveys (NAMHS) gathered prevalence data of mental disorders among adolescents in Kenya, Indonesia and Vietnam. Objectives: To introduce NAMHS and to describe the protocol and methods. Methods: In Kenya, Indonesia and Vietnam, a multistage cluster sampling design was used to measure mental health and service usage. Participants were eligible pairs of adolescents aged 10-17 years and their primary caregiver. Adolescents were assessed for social phobia, generalised anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, Version 5. The NAMHS survey instrument was co-designed with investigators from the partnering countries enabling collection of data on demographics, risk and protective factors and mental health service use. Findings: Adolescents and their primary care givers in Kenya (N = 5160), Indonesia (N = 5760) and Vietnam (N = 5996) completed the survey. Participation rates in all three countries were very high ranging from 81.1% in Vietnam to 97.9% in Kenya. The survey was successfully administered adhering to the published protocol. Capacity building in each of the countries occurred with the successful completion of NAMHS. Conclusion: NAMHS provides a gold-standard methodology for national mental health surveys of adolescents in low- and middle-income countries. NAMHS provides much needed information on the mental health of adolescents living in low resource settings.