Gender differences in Russian adolescent mental health from 1999 to 2021

Abstract

AbstractThis study examined secular trends in Russian adolescent mental health, the specific effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic, and associations with country‐level indicators. A cross‐sectional survey of 12,882 adolescents aged 11–18 years was carried out between 1999 and 2021 using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The results showed an incline in girls' internalizing problems with a two‐fold increase in the gender gap. There was a decline in girls' prosocial behavior and an incline in peer problems, with decreasing gender differences. Conduct problems showed a reversal of gender differences. Changes during the pandemic were not greater than over‐time changes, with the exception of inclines in hyperactivity‐inattention in both genders. Time trends in adolescent mental health were associated with over‐time changes in national indicators of wealth and gender equality. The findings provide a strong basis for further research into the determinants of gender differences in adolescent mental health and for gender‐specific interventions.