Psychiatric morbidity in parents of children with behavioral problems attending child guidance clinic

Abstract

Introduction: Psychiatric morbidity in parents can influence behavioral problems in children and behavioral problems in child can cause heightened family distress. Our objectives were to evaluate the frequency and nature of psychiatric morbidities in parents of children with psychiatric illness and to study their association.

Methodology: The study sample included parents of children with behavioral problems attending the child guidance clinic, Government Medical College, Kottayam, Kerala. Children were initially screened using Childhood Psychopathology Measurement Schedule and in those screened positive the diagnosis was confirmed using the DCR criteria for ICD -10. The parents of those children were screened using the General Health Questionnaire-12 and those who scored above cut off were evaluated for psychiatric disorders by taking history doing detailed physical examination and mental status examination. Statistical analysis was done to find the frequency and nature of illnesses and the association between parental and child diagnoses.

Results: 61% of the fathers and 25% of the mothers had psychiatric morbidity. Significant associations were found between 1) conduct disorders in children with fathers’ alcohol dependence and bipolar affective disorder and mothers’ depressive disorder 2) ADHD (F90.0) in children with fathers’ alcohol harmful use 3) Hyperkinetic conduct disorder(ADHD+CD) in children with fathers’ alcohol dependence and bipolar affective disorder and mothers’ depression 4) Pervasive developmental disorder in children with fathers’ alcohol dependence 5) Mental retardation in children with fathers’ alcohol dependence.

Conclusion: Parents of children with behavioural problems have higher rate of psychiatric morbidity and there are significant associations between many conditions in parents and their children.