An improved understanding of the etiological mechanisms underlying child and adolescent psychopathology - especially how these mechanisms function in the context of China's rapid economic growth and social changes - may contribute to the development of empirically based prevention and intervention programs in China. Child and adolescent psychopathology has both short- and long-term deleterious impacts (Merikangas et al., Reference Merikangas, Nakamura and Kessler2009), and youth mental health has become a topic of major public health concern in China.

The prevalence data suggest that more than 30 million Chinese children and adolescents under age 17 are affected by emotional and behavioral problems (Fourth International Conference on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 2009), which is about three times greater than the same population in the United States (Merikangas et al., Reference Merikangas, He, Burstein, Swanson, Avenevoli, Cui, Benjet, Georgiades and Swendsen2010). Findings from this study are expected to help understanding of the etiological mechanisms underlying child and adolescent normal and abnormal development in regions undergoing substantial social, cultural, and economic changes.Ĭhild and adolescent psychopathology in China has received increasing attention from academic, social, clinical, and policy communities. The combination of quantitative and molecular genetic approaches and the timeliness of the project, with the sample residing in a region with a rapidly changing economic and cultural climate, are particular strengths of this study. Data collection included the following: emotional and behavioral problems (e.g., depressive symptoms, anxiety, delinquency, drinking, and smoking) family, peer, and school environments stress social and academic competence cognitive traits (e.g., emotion suppression, rumination, and effortful control) and saliva samples for DNA genotyping and sequencing. A representative sample of adolescent twins in Beijing ( N = 1,387 pairs of adolescent twins, mostly between the ages of 10 and 18 years) was recruited and assessed longitudinally. To investigate the etiology of such problems, including the effects and interplay of genes and environment, the Beijing Twin Study (BeTwiSt) was established.

Rates of emotional and behavioral problems among children and adolescents in China are increasing and represent a major public health concern.

Harold e jones child study center