Emotional and behavioral problems: a school-based study in southern Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Bach,Suelen de Lima
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Outros Autores: Molina,Mariane Lopez, Amaral,Paulinia Leal do, Reyes,Amanda Neumann, Jansen,Karen, Silva,Ricardo Azevedo da, Motta,Janaína Vieira dos Santos
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2237-60892019000300211
• topic: Schoolchildren; emotional and behavioral problems; child mental health

Abstract Introduction Mental health assessment in childhood needs to be carried out within a broader context that includes different factors. Objective To assess the prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems in schoolchildren and associated factors. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted with a school-based sample at 20 schools selected by systematic random sampling. Participants consisted of children aged 7-8 year old and their parents or primary caregivers. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used to screen for the presence of emotional and behavioral problems in children. Results A total of 596 dyads were evaluated. The prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems was 30.0% among boys and 28.2% among girls. Hyperactivity/inattention were more prevalent among boys (p=0.015). Belonging to economically disadvantaged strata increased the likelihood of emotional and behavioral problems among schoolchildren by 71% (p=0.001), while having parents or caregivers with mental disorder increased by 2.2 times that probability (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our findings showed a high prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems among schoolchildren, as well as the influence of economic conditions and of the mental health of parents and caregivers on child mental health.