Mental health and well-being from childhood to adulthood: design, methods and results of the 11-year follow-up of the BELLA study

Abstract

Mental health and well-being are of great interest in health policy and research. Longitudinal surveys are needed to provide solid population-based data. We describe the design and methods of an 11-year follow-up of the German BELLA study in children, adolescents and young adults, and we report on age- and gender-specific courses of general health and well-being, long-term health-related outcomes of mental health problems, and mental health care use. The BELLA study is the module on mental health and well-being within the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS). Standardised measures were used at each of the five measurement points of the BELLA study. In the 11-year follow-up, young people aged 7–31 years participated (n = 3492). Individual growth modelling, linear regression and descriptive analyses were conducted. Self-reported general health and well-being were both better in younger (vs. older) and in male (vs. female) participants according to the data from all five measurement points. Mental health problems in childhood and adolescence (measured at baseline) predicted impaired health outcomes at 6-year and 11-year follow-ups. Approximately one out of four children with a diagnosed mental disorder was not undergoing mental health treatment. With its 11-year follow-up, the prospective longitudinal BELLA study provides new and solid data on mental health and well-being from childhood to adulthood in Germany, and these data are important for health promotion and prevention practices. These results are consistent with previous findings. Promising future analyses are planned.

Mental health assessment of Spanish healthcare workers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. A cross-sectional study

“…Although the results were not significant for this group, it is also important to underline that having had a psychiatric history suggested worse psychological distress across healthcare professionals when evaluated at baseline. As it has already been described in a broad range of clinical contexts, a history of psychiatric disorders increases the predisposition to future psychiatric pathologies and comorbidities, especially when an extreme life event (i.e., Covid-19 pandemic) triggers it [ [61] , [62] , [63] ].…”

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life and mental health in children and adolescents in Germany

“…The BELLA study is the mental health module within the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) [ 34 ] which administered established and validated questionnaires on HRQoL and mental health to children, adolescents and parents. Details of the BELLA study are described elsewhere [ 31 , 32 ]. Extensive data from the BELLA study conducted in Germany in 2017 ( n = 1556) were used to compare the data from the COPSY study with those of population-based reference samples surveyed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…This representative COPSY study (impact of CO VID-19 on psy chological health) aims to explore the HRQoL and mental health of children and adolescents aged 7–17 years during the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare it to pre-pandemic data of the nationwide representative study of the be haviour and we l lbeing of chi l dren and a dolescents in Germany (BELLA study) [ 31 , 32 ].…”

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“…These dimensions affect or are affected by health and provide generic understanding of subjective health and well-being [15,40]. HRQoL is particularly wellrounded measure for children and adolescents, as it takes into account the spheres of individual experience, family, and school environment [37,47,50].…”