Children and adolescents mental health in Ecuador: High rates of mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use and depression

Introduction: Mental health disorders may begin in childhood or adolescence, and hospitalization is usually indicative of severity. Objectives: This study aimed to analyze hospitalizations for mental health disorders in pediatric population of Ecuador. Methods: We examined eight years of nationwide data, focusing on sociodemographic factors, types of disorders, and length of hospital stays for each mental health disorder based on ICD-10 criteria. Data were obtained from the Ecuadorian National Institute of Statistics and Censuses. Logistic regression models were performed to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aOR). Results: Between 2015 and 2022, 15,521 hospitalizations for mental health disorders were recorded for pediatric population in Ecuador. The highest observed hospitalization rates were 7.69 per 100,000 inhabitants for psychoactive substance use disorders, 7.66 for depressive disorders and 2.75 for schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Hospitalizations for depressive disorders in the pediatric population peaked in 2022 with 15.44 hospitalizations per 100,000. Higher odds of hospitalization for depressive disorders were observed in females (aOR 2.54, 95 % CI 2.34–2.76). Males were more frequently hospitalized for mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance than females. Adolescents aged 15–19 years were more likely to be hospitalized for depressive or psychoactive substance use disorders. Mental and behavioral disorders related to psychoactive substance use were associated with shorter hospital stays, typically ≤2 days, while depressive disorders often required stays of >11 days. Conclusion: Our results provide data for further research and development of more comprehensive mental health strategies in the pediatric population in low- and middle-income countries such as Ecuador.