[Mentality and behavior of children suffering from viral myocarditis].
OBJECTIVE
The present study was designed to investigate the influence of viral myocarditis on mental behavior of the children.


METHODS
Mentality and behavior of the 178 children suffering from viral myocarditis were examined with Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) edited by Gong Yao-xian in 1986 and 104 sex, age, education and achievement-matched children with pneumonia or upper respiratory infection were enrolled as controls.


RESULTS
The mentality and behavior of the children with viral myocarditis were distinctly abnormal. The abnormal rates of boys and girls suffering from acute and deferment viral myocarditis were evidently higher than those of control children (P < 0.01). The behavioral abnormalities of boys were hypochondria, social difficulties, unwell of body and attack. Whereas, the girls presented hypochondria, unwell of body, social flinch and disobeyed discipline, which was significantly different from the control children. The total and hypochondria cursory mark of the second check result of deferment boys were evidently higher than those of the first check (P < 0.05). The total cursory mark of the second check result of deferment girls was higher than that of the first check (P < 0.05) and evidently higher than that of the acute second check result (P < 0.01). The abnormal rates of mentality and behavior correlated positively with the age of children and they were associated with the severity of the illness.


CONCLUSIONS
Viral myocarditis evidently affected the mentality and behavior of children, which should be paid great attention to.
Wang
Zhen-xian
ZX
Department of Pediatrics, Second Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan 250033, China.
Xu
Lan
L
Wang
Yu-long
YL
Zhang
Ke-xiang
KX
Zhang
Kun
K
Zhang
Zhao-hua
ZH
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006998:Hypochondriasis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000821:virology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012919:Social Behavior; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000523:psychology*