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International Journal of Mental Health Systems
Published in: International Journal of Mental Health Systems 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Disorders of Intellectual Development | Research

Demographic and clinical characteristics of children seeking psychiatric services in the Nile Delta region: an observational retrospective study

Authors: Mohammad A. Seleem, Reham A. Amer, Amr H. Romeh, Hesham M. Hamoda

Published in: International Journal of Mental Health Systems | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

Epidemiological studies, describing both community and clinical samples of youth in need for psychiatric help, are rare in the middle east. To our knowledge, this is the first study that aims to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of a sample of children suffering from emotional and behavioral problems seeking psychiatric services in the Nile Delta region and the largest clinical sample to date in Egypt.

Methods

The files of all new cases who presented for care in the outpatient service for children and adolescents between August 2016 and July 2018 were reviewed. Ninety-six files were excluded due to missing data while another 18 files were found to be for adults (ages > 18 years old), so the sample included 886 cases.

Results

The ages of our sample (n = 886) ranged from 18 months to 18 years with an average of 7.5 (± 3.8) years. Most of our cases were male, school aged children, living within low-income households and predominantly coming from rural areas. The most common diagnoses were attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (22.6%), intellectual disability (ID) (13.7%), depressive disorders (13.3%), and disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) (12.3%). Strong protective effects were found for family integrity and stability. Corporal punishment and physical and sexual abuse were noted to be significant risk factors for internalizing and externalizing disorders in children and adolescents.

Conclusions

Except for males being a majority in our sample of children seeking psychiatric consultation, demographic patterns and prevalence of psychiatric disorders are comparable to other tertiary clinical samples in other parts of the world.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Demographic and clinical characteristics of children seeking psychiatric services in the Nile Delta region: an observational retrospective study
Authors
Mohammad A. Seleem
Reham A. Amer
Amr H. Romeh
Hesham M. Hamoda
Publication date
01-12-2019

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