ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To carry out a preliminary study on the emotional problems and parenting locus of control among children with anxiety disorders.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 110 children with simple anxiety disorders (AD group) and 113 normal children (control group) from September to December 2005 were enrolled. Children were asked to complete the Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children (DSRSC), the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), and the Parenting Locus of Control Scale (PLOC).A total of 197 valid scales were returned.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The scores of somatic, generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social phobia anxiety, school phobia anxiety, total anxiety, and total depression were all higher in the AD group than in the control group (P<0.01). The score of "education effects" for parents was significantly higher in the AD group than that in the control group (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Children with anxiety disorders tend to have more emotional problems and poorer parental education effects.</p>
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Affective Symptoms , Anxiety Disorders , Psychology , Internal-External Control , ParentingABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in a representative sample of primary and middle school students in Hunan Province.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 9 495 children aged 5-17 years from Hunan urban and rural schools were enrolled by a cluster sampling and a two-phase design. The students' psychiatric status was assessed using the Investigation Screening Inventory for Child Mental Disorder and a semi-structured interview designed based on the DSM-IV criteria.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The overall prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 16.22%. Attention-deficit and disruptive behavior disorders were the commonest in the diagnostic categories of psychiatric disorders (10.69%). Regarding specific disorders, the most prevalent was attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (5.95%). Psychiatric disorders were more prevalent in boys than in girls (20.49% vs 11.16%; p<0.01). The prevalence of attention-deficit and disruptive behavior disorders in boys was higher than in girls (14.76% vs 5.87%; p<0.01). The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in middle school students (12-17 years) was significantly higher than in primary students (5-11 years) (18.38% vs 14.64%; p<0.01). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders between urban and rural students.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Psychiatric disorders are common among primary and middle school students in Hunan Province. The prevalence of this disorder in boys is higher than in girls. The middle school students have higher prevalence than primary students.</p>