Prévalence des troubles psychopathologiques dans une population tunisienne d’enfants en difficultés scolaires

Abstract: Introduction: Learning difficulties are frequently associated with various psychopathological conditions. The nature of this association is not clear, psychopathology being possibly considered as a cause or as a consequence of school failure. Methodology: In this cross-sectional study, a population of 287 children belonging to 1st and 3rd grades of elementary school were identified as facing school difficulties through standardized records by teachers and school physicians. One hundred and eighty of them underwent a comprehensive assessment including neurological, psychiatric, and cognitive and language evaluations. Psychiatric evaluation consisted in a semi-structured interview referring to DSM IV and using the Mini-International-Neuropsychological-Interview (MINI-kid). Results: In 31% of cases, there were no mental disorders. For the remaining students, most prevalent mental disorders were current or former language disorders (apart from mental retardation): 22%, anxiety disorders: 19%, elimination disorders: 16%, attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder: 11%, adjustment disorders: 10%, parasomnias: 3%, depression: 1.8%, simple tics: 3%. Conclusion: This high comorbidity deserves further investigation to clarify possible causality and needs to be taken into consideration through a systematic investigation of mental disorders with students in situation of school failure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]