The prevalence of psychiatric disorders among 5-10 year olds in rural, urban and slum areas in Bangladesh

TY - JOUR

T1 - The prevalence of psychiatric disorders among 5-10 year olds in rural, urban and slum areas in Bangladesh

AU - Mullick, M S I

AU - Goodman, R

PY - 2005/8

Y1 - 2005/8

N2 - Background No previous epidemiological studies of child mental health have been conducted in Bangladesh, partly due to lack of suitable measures. Methods A Bangla translation of a standardised child psychiatric interview, the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA), was validated against routine clinical diagnoses on a consecutive series of 100 referrals to a child mental health service. A two-phase study of prevalence was applied to random samples of 5- to 10-year-olds (N=922) drawn from three contrasting areas: a rural area, a moderately prosperous urban area, and an urban slum. Results There was substantial agreement between the DAWBA and the independent clinic diagnosis (kappa=0.63-0.94). The estimated prevalence of any ICD-10 diagnosis was 15% (95% CI 11-21%). The rate of obsessive-compulsive disorder was higher than in previous studies. Children from the slum area were significantly more likely to have serious behavioural problems, and marginally more likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder. Conclusion A conservative extrapolation is that around 5 million Bangladeshi children and adolescents have psychiatric disorders. In a country with very few child mental health professionals, there is a vast gap between need and provision that must be addressed

AB - Background No previous epidemiological studies of child mental health have been conducted in Bangladesh, partly due to lack of suitable measures. Methods A Bangla translation of a standardised child psychiatric interview, the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA), was validated against routine clinical diagnoses on a consecutive series of 100 referrals to a child mental health service. A two-phase study of prevalence was applied to random samples of 5- to 10-year-olds (N=922) drawn from three contrasting areas: a rural area, a moderately prosperous urban area, and an urban slum. Results There was substantial agreement between the DAWBA and the independent clinic diagnosis (kappa=0.63-0.94). The estimated prevalence of any ICD-10 diagnosis was 15% (95% CI 11-21%). The rate of obsessive-compulsive disorder was higher than in previous studies. Children from the slum area were significantly more likely to have serious behavioural problems, and marginally more likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder. Conclusion A conservative extrapolation is that around 5 million Bangladeshi children and adolescents have psychiatric disorders. In a country with very few child mental health professionals, there is a vast gap between need and provision that must be addressed

U2 - 10.1007/s00127-005-0939-5

DO - 10.1007/s00127-005-0939-5

M3 - Article

SN - 1433-9285

VL - 40

SP - 663

EP - 671

JO - Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

JF - Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

IS - 8

ER -