UBC Faculty Research and Publications

The prevalence of psychiatric disorders among students aged 6~ 16 years old in central Hunan, China Shen, Yan-Mei; Chan, Bella S M; Liu, Jian-Bo; Zhou, Yuan-Yue; Cui, Xi-Long; He, Yu-Qiong; Fang, Yu-min; Xiang, Yu-Tao; Luo, Xue-Rong

Abstract

Background: Though several epidemiological surveys of psychiatric disorders have been carried out in China, only a few of them are concerned about the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in central Hunan and reveal the distribution of common psychiatric disorders and their comorbidities. Methods: Achenbach’s Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID), and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) were administered to a stratified sample of 17,071 participants aged 6 to 16 years old from two cities in the central part of Hunan province. Twelve-month prevalence rates were calculated. Results: Twelve-month prevalence of the population was 9.74%. The most common psychiatric disorders were attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (4.96%), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) (2.98%) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) (1.77%). Of those with a 12-month prevalence diagnosis, 34.6% had one or more comorbid psychiatric disorders. Most notably, ADHD had comorbidity rates of 25.15% with ODD, 18.18% with CD, 6.38% with GAD, and 3.66% with MDD. Conclusions: Psychiatric disorders are common in Chinese children and adolescents. Being the most prevalent mental disorder, ADHD requires continued focus and support in awareness and education.

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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)