Table 1. Prevalence of Children Aged 3–17 Years With Any Lifetime Mental, Behavioral, or Developmental Disorder Diagnosis, National Survey of Children’s Health, 2016–2021.
| Variable | 2016–2021, % (95% CI) | 2016, % (95% CI) | 2017, % (95% CI) | 2018, % (95% CI) | 2019, % (95% CI) | 2020, % (95% CI) | 2021, % (95% CI) | Average Annual % Change, (95% CI) | P valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any MBDD (ever) b | 26.3 (25.9 to 26.8) | 25.3 (24.4 to 26.2) | 25.5 (24.2 to 26.9) | 26.4 (25.3 to 27.5) | 26.1 (25.0 to 27.2) | 27.0 (26.0 to 28.0) | 27.7 (26.8 to 28.7) | 1.8 (1.1 to 2.5) | .002 |
| Any MEB | 19.5 (19.1 to 19.9) | 18.6 (17.8 to 19.4) | 18.3 (17.2 to 19.4) | 19.2 (18.3 to 20.2) | 19.7 (18.8 to 20.8) | 20.4 (19.5 to 21.3) | 20.6 (19.8 to 21.5) | 2.3 (1.5 to 3.2) | .001 |
| ADHD | 10.0 (9.7 to 10.3) | 9.9 (9.4 to 10.5) | 9.7 (8.8 to 10.5) | 9.9 (9.2 to 10.6) | 9.6 (9.0 to 10.3) | 10.2 (9.6 to 10.8) | 10.6 (10.0 to 11.2) | 1.3 (−0.6 to 3.4) | .13 |
| Behavioral/conduct problems | 9.0 (8.8 to 9.3) | 9.4 (8.8 to 10.0) | 8.9 (8.1 to 9.8) | 8.7 (8.1 to 9.4) | 8.6 (7.9 to 9.3) | 9.8 (9.1 to 10.5) | 8.9 (8.3 to 9.5) | −0.3 (−3.7 to 3.1) | .79 |
| Anxiety problems | 9.9 (9.6 to 10.2) | 8.4 (7.8 to 8.9) | 8.5 (7.7 to 9.2) | 9.7 (9.1 to 10.4) | 11.0 (10.2 to 11.8) | 10.7 (10.0 to 11.3) | 11.1 (10.4 to 11.7) | 6.0 (2.8 to 9.2) | .006 |
| Depression | 4.7 (4.5 to 4.9) | 4.2 (3.8 to 4.6) | 3.8 (3.3 to 4.3) | 4.8 (4.3 to 5.4) | 5.0 (4.4 to 5.6) | 4.9 (4.5 to 5.4) | 5.4 (5.0 to 5.9) | 5.3 (1.9 to 8.9) | .01 |
| Tourette syndrome | 0.3 (0.2 to 0.3) | 0.3 (0.2 to 0.4) | 0.2 (0.1 to 0.3) | 0.2 (0.1 to 0.3) | 0.4 (0.2 to 0.7) | 0.2 (0.2 to 0.4) | 0.3 (0.2 to 0.5) | 5.3 (−6.7 to 18.9) | .30 |
| Any DLLD | 14.8 (14.5 to 15.2) | 14.1 (13.3 to 14.8) | 14.8 (13.7 to 16.0) | 14.6 (13.8 to 15.5) | 14.7 (13.8 to 15.6) | 15.3 (14.5 to 16.1) | 15.5 (14.8 to 16.3) | 1.8 (1.0 to 2.6) | .004 |
| Autism spectrum disorder | 3.1 (2.9 to 3.3) | 2.8 (2.5 to 3.1) | 3.3 (2.6 to 4.0) | 2.9 (2.5 to 3.4) | 3.3 (2.8 to 3.8) | 3.0 (2.6 to 3.3) | 3.4 (3.0 to 3.9) | 3.1 (−1.2 to 7.7) | .12 |
| Learning disability | 7.8 (7.5 to 8.1) | 7.3 (6.7 to 7.8) | 7.8 (6.9 to 8.7) | 7.6 (7.0 to 8.3) | 7.3 (6.7 to 8.0) | 8.2 (7.6 to 8.9) | 8.5 (7.9 to 9.2) | 2.9 (0.1 to 5.9) | .05 |
| Intellectual disability | 1.2 (1.1 to 1.4) | 1.1 (0.9 to 1.3) | 1.4 (1.0 to 1.9) | 1.2 (0.9 to 1.4) | 1.0 (0.8 to 1.3) | 1.5 (1.2 to 1.9) | 1.3 (1.0 to 1.6) | 2.8 (−5.5 to 11.8) | .41 |
| Developmental delay | 7.2 (6.9 to 7.4) | 6.5 (6.0 to 7.0) | 7.2 (6.5 to 8.1) | 7.0 (6.4 to 7.6) | 7.2 (6.6 to 7.9) | 7.6 (7.0 to 8.2) | 7.4 (6.9 to 8.0) | 2.5 (0.4 to 4.7) | .03 |
| Speech or other language disorder | 8.8 (8.5 to 9.1) | 8.2 (7.6 to 8.8) | 8.5 (7.6 to 9.5) | 8.7 (8.0 to 9.5) | 8.8 (8.1 to 9.5) | 8.9 (8.3 to 9.6) | 9.7 (9.1 to 10.4) | 3.0 (1.5 to 4.7) | .006 |
Abbreviations: ADHD, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder; DLLD, developmental, learning, and language disorders; MBDD, mental, behavioral, and developmental disorder; MEB, mental, emotional, and behavioral condition.
a
Calculated by linear trend test. Significant at P < .05.
b
MBDD categories are not mutually exclusive. Children with multiple conditions are included in each applicable category.