The Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders Among Children and Adolescents in Southern Khorasan Province, Iran

Children and adolescents are the potential capitals of communities. Therefore, their physical, mental, social, and spiritual health is of great importance. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents in Southern Khorasan province, Iran. This cross-sectional descriptive-correlational study was conducted in 2017. Study population consisted of children and adolescents aged 6–18 who lived in Southern Khorasan province, Iran. A sample of 1029 children and adolescents was selected through multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) and analyzed using the SPSS software (v. 19.0) and by conducting the Fisher’s exact test. The overall prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents in Southern Khorasan province, Iran, was 15.2%. The prevalence of these disorders among male and female participants was 15.5% and 14.8%, respectively. Moreover, the prevalence was 13.1% in the 6 - 9 age group, 15.5% in the 10 - 14 age group, and 17% in the 15 - 18 age group. In addition, the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among participants who lived in urban and rural areas was 18.9% and 6.3%, respectively. The most prevalent psychiatric disorders were respectively separation anxiety (5.2%), obsessive-compulsive disorder (3.5%), generalized anxiety disorder (3%), enuresis (2.9%), oppositional defiant disorder (2.4%), depression, special phobias, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (1.6%), agoraphobia (1%), and social phobia (0.8%). Need-based age-appropriate mental health services are needed to promote mental health among children and adolescents.