PREVALÊNCIA E FATORES ASSOCIADOS A TRANSTORNOS MENTAIS COMUNS (TMC) EM ADOLESCENTES ENTRE 15 E 18 ANOS DE ZONA URBANA DO SUL DO BRASIL

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and determinants of common mental disorders (CMD) among adolescents in a southern Brazilian city. Methods: A cross-sectional study, using a multiple stage sampling, was conducted from December 2001 to June 2002. A sample of adolescents aged between 15 and 18 years old, who live in the urban area of Pelotas, a southern Brazilian city, was studied. All male adolescents who obtained scores equal or higher to 5 and female adolescents who scored equal to 6 or more in the twenty questions Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ) were considered as having CMD. The multivarieted analysis with Poisson regression was performed taking into consideration the hierarchic pattern of variables associated to CMD. Results: 960 adolescents were interviewed. The CMD prevalence was 28,8%. It wasn t verified an association between CMD and age. Adolescents aged 17 years old presented a prevalence 1,37 (95% CI 1,06 1,78) times higher than those 15 years old. Maternal schooling showed that mothers between 5 and 8 years of education had 1,42 (95% CI 1,09 1,85) more prevalence than mothers with more than 8 years of schooling. Adolescents who smoked 16 or more cigaretes per day presented a prevalence 1,66 (95% CI 1,05 2,64) higher than no smokers. Sedentarium people had 1,24 (95% CI 1,01 1,51) more prevalence that non-sedentariun and dissatisfaction with body image 1,47 (95% CI 1,07 2,02). Conclusions: Mother education, smoking habit, sedentariness and body image dissatisfaction are factors related to CMD, which has a high prevalence in the studied population