Epidemiological Study on the Early Detection of Mental Disorders in Young Children in Russia

Assessing the risk of children developing mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders (MBDDs), including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), as well as achieving early detection of such disorders, has become one of the most important undertakings for public mental health professionals worldwide.

This study aims to evaluate the risk of developing MBDDs and the prevalence of MBDDs among young children (18-48 months old) in Russia.

A two-level epidemiological screening approach was developed and adopted for the purposes of this study. At the first level, the parents of all children between 18 and 48 months old were questioned using Russian national validated Screening Checklist for Parents for Identification of the Risk of Mental, Behavioral, and Developmental Disorders in Early Childhood in nine regions of Russia (Volgograd, Kirov, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Orenburg, Tver, Chelyabinsk, Yaroslavl, and Stavropol). At the second level, children identified at the first level of screening as being at risk of developing MBDDs were assessed by a child psychiatrist on a voluntary basis and diagnosed according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision criteria.

The present study revealed that the risk of developing MBDDs stands at 13.07% or 1,307 cases per 10,000 child population aged 18-48 months, whereas the prevalence of confirmed MBDDs is 1.51% or 151 cases per 10,000 among a Russian child population aged 18-48 months.

Screening for the risk of developing MBDDs, including ASDs, in Russia among very young children is a promising area of preventive medicine. This initiative allows us to develop optimal algorithms for specialized care measures that could help prevent the development and aggravation of children mental health issues.