[Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in primary and middle school students in Hunan Province].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in a representative sample of primary and middle school students in Hunan Province.


METHODS
A total of 9 495 children aged 5-17 years from Hunan urban and rural schools were enrolled by a cluster sampling and a two-phase design. The students' psychiatric status was assessed using the Investigation Screening Inventory for Child Mental Disorder and a semi-structured interview designed based on the DSM-IV criteria.


RESULTS
The overall prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 16.22%. Attention-deficit and disruptive behavior disorders were the commonest in the diagnostic categories of psychiatric disorders (10.69%). Regarding specific disorders, the most prevalent was attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (5.95%). Psychiatric disorders were more prevalent in boys than in girls (20.49% vs 11.16%; p<0.01). The prevalence of attention-deficit and disruptive behavior disorders in boys was higher than in girls (14.76% vs 5.87%; p<0.01). The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in middle school students (12-17 years) was significantly higher than in primary students (5-11 years) (18.38% vs 14.64%; p<0.01). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders between urban and rural students.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychiatric disorders are common among primary and middle school students in Hunan Province. The prevalence of this disorder in boys is higher than in girls. The middle school students have higher prevalence than primary students.
Guan
Bing-Qing
BQ
Mental Health Institute, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
Luo
Xue-Rong
XR
Deng
Yun-Long
YL
Wei
Zhen
Z
Ye
Hai-Sen
HS
Yuan
Xiu-Hong
XH
Ning
Zhi-Jun
ZJ
Yang
Wei
W
Ding
Jun
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors