Socioeconomic Factors in the Prevalence of Mental Disorders in the Population Aged 0–25 Years: Regions in the Czech Republic
Authors: Vrabková Iveta , Vaňková Ivana 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

Objective
In the Czech Republic as well as abroad, the number of mental disorders among adolescents is increasing, which is indicative of a global trend in developed societies. Mental health of young people is affected by a number of apparent, but also latent socioeconomic factors with a negative impact on mental health and, consequently, on the quality of their adult lives. Socioeconomic conditions of Czech population as a whole and of the population aged 0–25 years vary significantly and are naturally defined by the geographic, demographic, and cultural-historic nature of the country’s 14 regions. Knowledge of the impact of socioeconomic factors on the prevalence of mental disorders in the younger generation is particularly important in light of the rapidly evolving technology and associated changes in the living and working environment.
Methods
The research aims to verify the importance and impact the selected socioeconomic factors on the prevalence of mental disorders in the population aged 0–25 years over the period 2010–2021 on the regional level, using multi-dimensional regression analysis. The multi-dimensional regression analysis is calculated using the Enter and Stepwise methods. The prevalence of mental disorders in all the 14 regions of the Czech Republic is investigated on the basis of data from clinical examinations of persons aged 0–25 years receiving professional outpatient therapy. The prevalence takes into account the person’s permanent residence and is expressed per 1,000 inhabitants of the regions. Two models are analysed – M1 (14 regions) and M2 (13 regions, excluding Prague) – because the secondary objective of the research is to evaluate the bias or changes in the results of multi-dimensional regression analysis due to the exclusion of the capital city of Prague from the calculations. The six research questions reflect the influence of the selected 11 socioeconomic predictors on the prevalence of mental disorders in the population aged 0–25 years in the individual regions.
Results
The results of multi-dimensional regression analyses in both models (M1, M2) show that three predictors are likely to decrease the prevalence of mental disorders in the population aged 0–25 years, while four predictors may increase the prevalence in the regions. The decrease of prevalence in both models (M1, M2) can be explained by the effect of predictors that express the share of the urban population in the overall population of the region and the age of first-time mothers. In both models, the increase in the prevalence of mental disorders is explained by criminality. Only in M2, the increase in the prevalence is influenced by the number of physicians and hospital beds in the region. Significant influence of other predictors used in the research was not confirmed.
Conclusion
The dynamism of prevalence of mental disorders in the population aged 0–25 years in the Czech Republic is increasing and regionally differentiated. Over the period 2010–2021, the greatest increase in the prevalence of mental disorders in the population aged 0–25 years was reported in regions characterised, more or less, by the predominance of non-urban population and lower capacities of general healthcare compared to other Czech regions. The research results also draw attention to the latent prevalence of mental disorders in the Czech regions, which will be addressed in the near future and will need allocation of public resources and attention of regional governments as well as nationwide policies. In order to mitigate or reverse the dynamism of prevalence of mental disorders in the general population, there is a need to focus attention on meeting the goals of psychiatric care reforms and improving education and general awareness of mental health, particularly among the population living outside large cities.