- Studies over 30 years have shown that children and adolescents with chronic health conditions are more likely to have mental health conditions
- Young children with a chronic health condition are twice as likely to have mental health and behavioral issues as their physically healthy peers
- Youth with Type 1 Diabetes show a greater increase in depression, eating disorders, psychological distress, and anxiety

University of Virginia, Charlottesville

Chronic illness increases the likelihood of comorbid conditions such as mental illness and other physical conditions, a lower quality of life, increased cost of healthcare, and complications from a failure to manage the condition(s) properly. 

Mental Health Issues in Children and Adolescents with Chronic Illness

Delamater, A. M., Guzman, A., &amp; Aparicio, K. (2017). Mental health issues in children and adolescents with chronic illness. International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, 10(3), 163–173. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhrh-05-2017-0020 

Mental Health Issues in Children with Chronic Illness Reference

- 43-54% of children in US have a chronic health condition 
- The most prevalent conditions are obesity, asthma, diabetes,  ADHD, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
 - The highest rates were recorded among Black and Hispanic male youth


Prevalence of Chronic Health Conditions in Children

- Treatment is important since the presence of the condition affects mental health which in turn effects condition management - this pattern can become a cycle if an individual is not careful 
- Interventions that address the emotional factors of living with chronic illness, as well as improving coping skills and stress management, can go a long way in reducing the mental strain of living with a chronic condition
- Overall, results show that CBT and family based interventions can reduce rates of depression and anxiety 


Interventions for Youth with Chronic Health Conditions

- 20-25% of youth in the US have mental health issues, however, some studies show that up to 80% of these children do not receive mental health treatment
- These children are often seen by primary care doctors and rarely referred to mental health professionals
- A lack of treatment for healthcare needs during adolescence is predictive of worse health outcomes as adults
- Stigma and structural barriers exist that prevent children from receiving necessary care such as parents not seeing health care needs as necessary and the financial burden of paying for mental health services being too high 


Access and Barriers to Mental Health Treatment

Children with chronic health conditions are much more likely to experience mental health issues. However, monetary barriers and cultural stigma often prevent youth from receiving the required care. Focusing on integrated healthcare, decreasing the cost of care, and creating policies with chronically ill children in mind will go far in improving the mental health of children with chronic health conditions. 

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