title: Elimination disorders and anxious-depressed symptoms in preschool children: a population-based study.
abstract: The prevalence rates of elimination disorders and anxious/depressed symptoms of a representative sample of young children and their associations were assessed. 2,079 children in a defined geographical area were examined at school-entry. A parental questionnaire with 4 questions referring to symptoms of incontinence and 14 items of the anxious/depressed scale of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was administered. 9.5 % of 6-year-old children wet at night, 2.7 % wet during day and 1.2 % had faecal incontinence. Significantly more boys wet at night (11.7 %) than girls (7.2 %; OR 0.58, 95 % CI 0.43-0.78). 12.7 % had clinically relevant anxious/depressed symptoms. Children with at least one elimination disorder had significantly higher T values of the 'anxious/depressed' CBCL than continent controls. Children with faecal incontinence had highest T values of the 'anxious/depressed' CBCL syndrome scale, significantly higher than those of children with other elimination disorders and controls. Elimination disorders, as well as anxious/depressed symptoms are common at a young age. Boys are more affected by elimination disorders than girls, but not by anxious/depressed symptoms. Children with faecal incontinence have the highest rate of anxious/depressed symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Saarland University Hospital, 66421, Homburg, Germany, monika.equit@uks.eu.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Equit
authors.forename: Anna-Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Braun-Bither
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gräber
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: von Gontard
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D019960:Elimination Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires