| India is a developing country whose rapid socio-economic changes could affect the mental health of children and
adolescents. This study aims to find out the differences in the mental health of school children in the age group 4-17 and to
find out the most common type of psychiatric disorder prevailing among them and to help those children to overcome their
difficulties and to make them ready to face the adulthood. Methodology: -This is a descriptive study carried out in Tagore
Medical College,Chennai, Tamilnadu, India.The study population comprised of 150 school children in the age group 4-
17.Permission was obtained from the Institutional Ethical Committee for conducting the study. Children aged between 4-17
yrs were interviewed based on Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the results were documented. Results
and Discussion:- It is noted that school going children in the age group 4-17 tend to have mental health issues mostly due to
peer problems (32.6%) followed by conduct issues (27.3%) , hyperactivity(17.3%), emotional (9.3%), prosocial (3.3%)
problems. Of the 150 children who were assessed for mental health issues, only 4.6% children were found to have normal
mental health and 3.3% had borderline issues and 92% had abnormal mental health issues according to SDQ scoring system.
Conclusion: - From above interpretations, both male and female school going children in the age group 4-17 are found to be
affected equally.ddd |
