Internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children and adolescents with visual impairment

• Autor(a) principal: Checchia, Maísa Novaes Portella
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Outros Autores: Michel, Renata, Moraes, César de
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Debates em Psiquiatria (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revistardp.org.br/revista/article/view/164
• topic: Distúrbios de conduta; distúrbios visuais; transtornos fóbico-ansiosos; episódios depressivos; Conduct disorders; visual disorders; phobic-anxiety disorders; depressive episodes

Objective: To study emotional (internalizing and externalizing symptoms) in 12 visually impaired children and adolescents. Methods: Twelve subjects aged 6 to 18 years, of both sexes, diagnosed with total blindness or low vision (research group), were investigated according to data provided by both the institution where the children were assisted and their parents or guardians. Another 10 children with normal vision (control group), also of both sexes and in the same age range, were also assessed. Evaluations were conducted using the Brazilian Criteria of Economic Classification, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the introductory interview of the Kiddie-Sads-Present and Lifetime Version 1 scale, filled based on the information provided. Statistical analyses were performed using the chi-square test, Mann-Whitney’s test, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Significance was set at 5%. Results: A higher incidence of internalizing symptoms was found in the research group. The control group, in turn, showed problems with rules, i.e., this group presented clinical levels of externalizing symptoms with regard to rule-breaking behaviors. Conclusion: Internalizing symptoms were more frequent in the group of children with visual impairment.