Psychiatric disorders in 6- to 8-year-old children in the greater Athens area.

Abstract

603 schoolchildren of the greater Athens area were screened for psychiatric disorders as expressed by a total score of 13 or more in the Rutter parents' questionnaire, and 10 or more in the Rutter teachers' questionnaire. Psychiatric disorder was negatively correlated with school marks. IQ (vocabulary, draw-a-man, visual-motor integration), motor coordination, and achievement in reading and arithmetic, and positively with size of family. The incidence of disturbance as assessed by the teachers' questionnaire was similar to that in other big cities in other countries, while the incidence of disturbance as assessed by the parents' questionnaire was greater in comparison to that of other countries. The incidence of hyperkinesis in our sample was considerably greater in comparison to other studies in other countries. Boys were found to be generally more disturbed than girls with the exception of neurosis.