Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and control measures on the incidence and decompensation of mental problems in children, adolescents and young people in the Basque Country.

Call for tender for project: Aid for health research and development projects 2022: Promotion of health research activity

Funding body: Department of Health, Basque Government

Record no.: 2022111009

PI: Igor Larrañaga

Funding awarded: €6.353,48.

Description:The Basque Government’s Minister of Health, Gotzone Sagardui, announced on 4 April 2022 that the Basque Country would design a new strategy to address Mental Health, in line with the needs of the post-pandemic era17. Specifically, child and adolescent psychiatric care is one of the priorities of this new strategy. This project aims to provide key information for this strategy, which the Advisory Council on Mental Health in the Basque Country.

Objective:To measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and confinement on mental health in children, adolescents and young people in the population of the Basque Country.

Specific objectives:

  • To measure the incidence of mental disorders in the population of the Basque Country aged 1-30 years disaggregated by type of disorder, gender and SES in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
  • To measure the rate of decompensation of people with mental disorders in the population of the Basque Country aged 1 to 30 years disaggregated by type of disorder, gender and ESE in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
  • To analyse inequalities by gender and SES in mental health in the population of the Basque Country aged 1 to 30.
  • To analyse the demand for specialised mental health services according to gender, SES and history of diagnosed mental health problems.
  • To analyse the use of psychopharmacological medication, both new prescriptions and changes in psychopharmacological medication as indicators of decompensation.

Study design: A descriptive and cross-sectional observational study will be carried out, since the aim is to find out the incidence of new cases, the decompensation of those previously diagnosed and the demand for specialised services for mental health problems in children, adolescents and young people in the Basque Country.

Expected results: Development of programmes for the promotion of mental health and prevention of mental disorders in adolescents, and the reorganisation of child and adult mental health care services.