The prevalence of dual diagnoses in children and adolescents with substance use disorders, systematic review

BackgroundThe objective of this paper is to present a systematic review of studies dealing with the prevalence of dual diagnoses among children and adolescents with substance use disorders. The main objective of the study is to describe prevalence of dual diagnoses and to identify the relevant topics.MethodsThe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews protocol and guidelines were used to conduct the systematic review. The EBSCO, Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant articles published in English between 2010 and 2020.ResultsThe areas of interest were identified as (a) prevalence of dual diagnoses among substance-using children and adolescents, (b) methods for diagnosing psychiatric conditions, (c) psychiatric comorbidity diagnoses, (d) types of substances used, (e) differences between outpatient and inpatient participants. Literature on dual diagnoses in children and adolescents is scarce. The mean prevalence of dual diagnoses in target population with substance use disorders was 59.6%. As the most common psychiatric disorders, the studies indicate conduct disorders, anxiety and depressive disorders. We suggest that further research with study designs included valid diagnostic tools.ConclusionThe care of the target group should be provided with the respect of high prevalence of dual diagnoses.