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Reporting questionnaire for children as a screening instrument for child mental health problems in Iraqi Kurdistan
Abdulbaghi Ahmad1, Anas M Abdul-Majeed, Aras A Siddiq
1Department of Child Mental Health at the College of Medicine of the University of Dohuk, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. abdulbaghi.ahmad@bupinst.uu.se
Insights
The Reporting Questionnaire for Children (RQC) effectively screens for child mental health issues in Iraqi Kurdistan. It shows higher problem scores than other societies, indicating a significant need for mental health support.
Area of Science:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Global Mental Health
- Psychometric Evaluation
Background:
- Child mental health problems are a growing concern globally.
- Limited data exists on child mental health in Iraqi Kurdistan.
- Culturally relevant screening tools are needed for accurate identification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the validity and utility of the Reporting Questionnaire for Children (RQC) for identifying child mental health problems in Iraqi Kurdistan.
- To compare mental health problem scores across different child populations: general, orphans, primary care, and hospital patients.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 806 school-aged children in Iraqi Kurdistan.
- Caregiver interviews using the Reporting Questionnaire for Children (RQC), Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), and Post-traumatic Stress Symptom Checklist for Children (PTSS-C).
- Random sampling from general population, orphanages, primary care, and hospital settings.
Main Results:
- The RQC demonstrated satisfactory validity when compared against a deviant Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) cut-off.
- The RQC showed similar score distributions to the CBCL and correlated positively with it, but not with the trauma-specific PTSS-C.
- Problem scores were significantly higher across all samples compared to those reported in other societies, with general population scores lower than clinical and orphan samples.
Conclusions:
- The Reporting Questionnaire for Children (RQC) is a useful first-stage screening instrument for child mental health problems in the Kurdistan region.
- Elevated mental health problem scores highlight a critical need for increased mental health services and support for children in this region.
- Further research is warranted to understand the specific factors contributing to the high prevalence of child mental health issues.
Abstract:
To identify child mental health problems in a mid-sized to large city in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Reporting Questionnaire for Children (RQC), followed by the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and the Post-traumatic Stress Symptom Checklist for Children (PTSS-C), were administered in interview form to the caregivers of 806 school-aged children. To cover different categories of children, four samples were randomly selected from among the general population (n = 201), orphans (n = 241), primary medical care patients (n = 199), and hospital patients (n = 165). The RQC revealed satisfactory validity against a deviant CBCL cut-off. The screening capacity of the RQC was further supported by its similarity to the CBCL in distribution of problem scores among the four samples and its positive correlation with the CBCL, but not with the trauma-related PTSS-C. Although the general population showed lower problem scores than the orphans and the two clinical samples, problem scores in all instruments were considerably higher than those reported from other societies. The RQC seems to be useful as a first-stage screening instrument for child mental health problems in Kurdistan.