Prevalence of Anxiety and Mood Disorders and Demographic Characteristics of Elementary School Students

WOS: 000343191900005PubMed ID: 25219691Objective: Childhood psychiatric disorders can prevent individuals from reaching their full potential, and disrupt normal development. Empirical data on the prevalence and incidence of childhood psychiatric disorders are fundamental to understanding the etiology and natural history of such disorders. There have been fewer epidemiologic investigations aimed at estimating the prevalence, incidence, and associated risk factors of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents, as compared to adults. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of mood disorders (MDs) and anxiety disorders (ADs) in a representative sample of elementary school children from Turkey, providing prevalence rates that were previously unavailable. Materials and Methods: In all, 12 schools were randomly selected and stratified according to socioeconomic status by the Izmir Directorate of National Education. The sample consisted of 419 randomly selected elementary school students, with a 5% margin of error and alpha (t) of 1%. The study included children aged 6-14 years. In total, 417 students were interviewed (total response rate of 99.5 %). The 417 students were assessed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), Child Behavior Check List (CBCL), Teacher Report Form (TRF), and Impairment Criterion Scale (ICS). Results: The prevalence of MDs and ADs without considering impairment was 2.9% and 13.9%, respectively, versus 1.4% and 2.6% with considering impairment, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of MDs and ADs in the present study's sample are similar to those reported from the Western studies. With the inclusion of diagnosis-specific impairment criteria the rates reduced slightly, as previously reported