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Psychiatric disorders in 8–9-year-old children based on a diagnostic interview with the parents

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Abstract

Using three questionnaires, the Rutter Parent Questionnaire (RA2), The Rutter Teacher Questionnaire (RB2) and the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI), we screened 8–9-year-old children representing a total annual birth cohort (N=60007) in Finland. In a second stage we interviewed the parents of 119 screen negative, and 316 screen positive children by using a structured parent interview. At the population level the overall prevalence rate for psychiatric disturbance was 21.8%, higher among boys (29.8%) than among girls (12.8%). Nine percent of the children were in urgent need of treatment and, in addition, 25% were in need of assessment. The prevalence of different levels of disturbance was: reactive 9.5%; neurotic 18.4%; borderline 3.1%; and other severe disorders 2.3%. The prevalence of different diagnostic groups were: anxiety disorder 5.2%; depressive disorder 6.2%; specific fears 2.4%; defiant and conduct disorder 4.7%; and attention-deficit hyperactivity-disorder 7,1%. The prevalence for the most common single first Axis-I DSM-III-R diagnoses were: attention-deficit hyperactivity-disorder 7%; dysthymia 4.6%; adjustment disorder with mixed disturbance of emotion and conduct 3.4%; oppositional defiant disorder 2.7%; specific fear 1.7%; anxiety disorder 1.5%; enuresis nocturnal 1.5%; and depression 1.4%. Only 3.1% of the children had visited health professionals for psychiatric problems during the previous three months. Only a minority of the children with psychiatric disturbances had ever consulted health professionals for their problems. Of all the children, 7.5% had a severe psychiatric disturbance that had lasted for more than 3 years.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Helsinki, Lastenlinnantie 2, FIN-00250, Helsinki, Finland

    F. Almqvist, E. Tuompo-Johansson, E. Huikko, E. Aronen & S. Katainen

  2. Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    K. Ikäheimo & J. Piha

  3. Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Tampere, Tampera, Finland

    K. Puura & T. Tamminen

  4. Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland

    K. Puura, K. Kumpulainen, I. Henttonen & E. Räsänen

  5. Department of Child Psychiatry, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland

    S. Linna & I. Moilanen

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  1. F. Almqvist
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  2. K. Puura
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  3. K. Kumpulainen
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  4. E. Tuompo-Johansson
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  14. T. Tamminen
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Correspondence to F. Almqvist.

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Almqvist, F., Puura, K., Kumpulainen, K. et al. Psychiatric disorders in 8–9-year-old children based on a diagnostic interview with the parents. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 8 (Suppl 4), S17–S28 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00010699

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