Epidemiology of Psychiatric Disorders and the Relevant Comorbidities in Children and Adolescents in Yazd Province in 2016

Due to significant social, economic, cultural, and lifestyle changes in Iran during past decades and the relationship among the unstable social and economic status and mental complications the study of psychiatric disorders has become important and necessary, the aim of this study was epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents.

A total of 1035 children aged 6-18 years from Yazd Province, Iran were enrolled in this cross-sectional study in 2017 using a multistage cluster sampling method. Data were collected using the following inventories for school-age children (6-18 years): Kiddie-SADS-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SAD-SPL). Logistic regression and SPSS version 16 software were used for data analysis.

44.1% of participants were boys and 55.9% were girls. The mean age of the participants was 11.3±3.9 years. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents was 35.5%. Meanwhile, anxiety disorders had the highest prevalence rate (22.2%) and among anxiety disorders, separation anxiety disorder (8.7%) and generalized anxiety (8.6%) were the most prevalent. There was a significant difference in all psychiatric disorders based on gender, more evident in the high rate of obsessive-compulsive disorder, enuresis, tic, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, hyperactivity, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, smoking disorder, and epilepsy were more evident in boys (P-value < 0.05).

The prevalence rate of psychiatric disorders in young population of Yazd Province is relatively high and because of its impact on individuals' social and personal function, it could have substantial implications for mental health services.