Psychiatric disorders in Thai school-aged children: I Prevalence

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of child psychiatric disorders has been studied in many countries. In Thailand, this was done ten years ago by using parent and teacher reported questionaires without interviewing the parent or the child.

Method: A two-stage survey design was used in a community sample of 1698 grade 4 school-children randomly selected from 107 schools in Bangkok. Measures employed were Thai Youth Checklist (TYC)-Parent and Teacher form for screening. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment (CAPA) was used in the second phase for 127 parent and child interview.

Results: The overall prevalence rate of child psychiatric disorders among 8-11-year-olds was estimated to be 37.6 per cent. The prevalence rate were 10.8 per cent, 9.7 per cent, 7.1 per cent, 5.5 per cent, 5.1 per cent and 5 per cent for overanxious, specific phobic, depressive, conduct, attention deficit-hyperactivity and separation anxiety disorders.

Conclusions: Rates of behavior disorders were similar to those reported from other countries, whilst rates of emotional disorders were higher than reported elsewhere.