Teen depression risk to youngest primary school starters

Children who are the youngest in their primary school class are more likely to be diagnosed with depression when they are teenagers, London researchers suggested today
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Ross Lydall @RossLydall23 September 2019

Children who are the youngest in their primary school class are more likely to be diagnosed with depression when they are teenagers, London researchers suggested today.

A study led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found evidence that the youngest quarter of pupils have a 30 per cent higher risk of being diagnosed with depression at 16.

Researchers said that while the overall risk of depression was small, it should be made easier for parents wishing to defer their child’s start at school.

About 800,000 children start school every year in the UK. Of each cohort, about 2,200 of the youngest go on to suffer depression, compared with 1,700 of the eldest quarter.

The observational study, which has been published in the respected journal JAMA Pediatrics after being reviewed by other experts, analysed GP records of a million school-age children in the UK for diagnoses of depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and intellectual disability.

Younger children can find it harder to concentrate, leading to over-diagnosis of hyperactivity, the researchers said. Other issues such as inferior academic performance and poorer peer relationships can also lead to mental health problems.

Previous research has found the youngest children are more at risk of being diagnosed with ADHD and learning disability. However, lead author Jeremy Brown said: “We believe this is the first evidence of an association between younger relative age in the school year and increases in the diagnosis of depression.”

Today’s research showed no difference between boys and girls. Nor was it possible to identify differences based on ethnicity or UK country.

Senior author Professor Ian Douglas said: “Just one per cent of the youngest quartile in a school year will be diagnosed with depression by age 16... However, we should focus on reducing the number of children affected.

“A fairer and clearer process for parents to request deferring school entry if their child is young for their school year and shows signs of slower development may also help.”

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