Prevalence, comorbidities and mediators of childhood anxiety disorders in urban Turkey: a national representative epidemiological study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety disorders, its correlation with sociodemographic characteristics, its comorbidities with other psychiatric disorders and its predictors in school-aged children. METHODS: This study is part of a representative, multi-centered national study that is planned by the Turkish Association of Child and Adolescent Mental Health to evaluate the prevalence of psychopathology among elementary school students in Turkey between the years 2014-2015. Children are screened via Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children Present and Lifetime Version. Impairment is assessed by a 3-point Likert type scale independently by the parent and the teacher. The final sample included 5842 children with the mean age of 8.7 years. RESULTS: The prevalence of any anxiety disorder without considering impairment is 16.7% and considering impairment is 5.2% in children according to our study. We found significant differences for comorbid Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Disruptive Behavior Disorder, Mood Disorders, Tic Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Enuresis Nocturna, Encopresis, and Intellectual Disability. Having a history of paternal physical disorder, living in the regions of Marmara, Mediterranean and Black Sea were found to be the main predictors of having childhood anxiety disorders according to the logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: Better understanding of childhood anxiety disorders, comorbid conditions and predictors will result in earlier diagnosis and more appropriate treatment.

Levels of depression, anxiety and behavioural problems and frequency of psychiatric disorders in children with chronic idiopathic urticaria.

BACKGROUND: Several studies reported that adults with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) frequently exhibit psychiatric comorbidity, most commonly depression and anxiety disorders. However the literature about children is limited. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the frequency of psychiatric disorders and to determine the levels of depression, anxiety and behavioural problems in a group of children with CIU. METHODS: The study included 27 children with CIU and 27 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Psychiatric assessment was done by using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAI-C), Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) were used to examine the levels of depression, anxiety and behavioural behaviours, respectively. RESULTS: The study group had more frequent psychiatric diagnoses than the control group (70% vs. 30%) and the most common psychiatric disorders were social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder and specific phobia. Depression, trait anxiety, internalizing problems, somatic complaints and anxiety/depressed scores were significantly higher in children with CIU. No correlation was found between the severity and duration of illness and psychological functioning. CONCLUSION: This study showed that children with CIU had high psychiatric morbidity. The results suggest that the psychological status of children with CIU should be screened by clinicians and that an interdisciplinary approach combining dermatological and psychiatric evaluations is necessary for the management of CIU.