1. Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children of different ethnic origin.
- Author
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Zwirs, Barbara W. C., Burger, Huibert, Schulpen, Tom W. J., Wiznitzer, Martin, Fedder, Hans, and Buitelaar, Jan K.
- Subjects
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MENTAL illness risk factors , *MULTIRACIAL children , *IMMIGRANT children , *INTERRACIAL families , *CHILDREN with mental illness , *CHILDREN with intellectual disabilities , *PATHOLOGICAL psychology , *CHILD psychiatry , *DIAGNOSIS of mental depression , *PSYCHIATRIC diagnosis , *DIAGNOSIS of post-traumatic stress disorder , *PSYCHIATRIC epidemiology , *DIAGNOSIS of bipolar disorder , *ATTENTION-deficit hyperactivity disorder , *BEHAVIOR disorders in children , *CHILD psychopathology , *COMPARATIVE studies , *MENTAL depression , *EMIGRATION & immigration , *ETHNIC groups , *ETHNOPSYCHOLOGY , *LOCUS of control , *BIPOLAR disorder , *RESEARCH methodology , *MEDICAL cooperation , *MEDICAL screening , *MENTAL illness , *PERSONALITY assessment , *POST-traumatic stress disorder , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *RESEARCH , *SEPARATION anxiety , *CITY dwellers , *ETHNOLOGY research , *SOCIOECONOMIC factors , *EVALUATION research , *ANXIETY disorders , *CROSS-sectional method , *DIAGNOSIS - Abstract
The present study assesses the population prevalence of DSM-IV disorders among native and immigrant children living in low socio-economic status (SES) inner-city neighborhoods in the Netherlands. In the first phase of a two-phase epidemiological design, teachers screened an ethnically diverse sample of 2041 children aged 6-10 years using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). In the second phase, a subsample of 253 children was psychiatrically examined, while their parents were interviewed. In addition, teachers completed a short questionnaire about 10 DSM-IV items. Prevalence was estimated using the best-estimate diagnosis based on parent, child and teacher information. Projected to the total population, 11% of the children had one or more impairing psychiatric disorders, which did not differ between native and non-native children. In the total group a clear relationship was observed between the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and gender, parental psychopathology, peer problems and school problems, but not among all ethnic groups separately. This study suggests that the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among non-treated minority and native children in low SES inner-city neighborhoods does not materially differ. However, associated mechanisms may be influenced by ethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007
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