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Depression in mentally retarded children
J L Matson1, R P Barrett, W J Helsel
1Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge 70803-5501.
Insights
Mentally retarded children in psychiatric care showed higher rates of depression and related symptoms compared to typically developing peers. These findings highlight similarities in depression presentation across cognitive abilities.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychiatry
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Depression in children is a significant concern.
- Limited research exists on depression in mentally retarded children.
- Understanding depression in this population is crucial for effective intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare depression prevalence in mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed children versus children without cognitive impairments.
- To examine the relationship between depression and overall psychopathology in this group.
- To validate depression assessment tools for use with mentally retarded children.
Main Methods:
- A matched-pair design comparing 31 hospitalized mentally retarded children with 31 typically developing children.
- Utilized the Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and Child Behavior Profile (CBP) for assessment.
- Analyzed total and subfactor scores for both measures.
Main Results:
- Mentally retarded children exhibited higher depression rates and subcomponent scores.
- A strong correlation was found between depression and overall psychopathology.
- CDI and CBP depression criteria showed significant overlap, even with norms from typically developing children.
Conclusions:
- Depression manifests similarly in mentally retarded children and their typically developing peers.
- The CDI and CBP are potentially valid tools for assessing depression in mentally retarded children.
- Findings provide empirical support for understanding and diagnosing depression in this vulnerable population.
Abstract:
Thirty-one mentally retarded emotionally disturbed children, hospitalized within a university medical school's psychiatric intensive care program, were matched on age and sex and compared to 31 children from a normal school setting on depression. Measures included the Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Child Behavior Profile (CBP), with children being compared on total and subfactor scores for both measures. Depression and its various subcomponents were more prevalent in the mentally retarded group. There were no significant sex or age differences. Degree of overall psychopathology and depression were highly related. The relationship between criteria for depression on the CDI and CBC were also made. Correlational data showed a strong relationship between the cut-off scores for both measures, an important finding because they were based on norms established with children of normal intelligence. These data suggest that similarities exist between depression in mentally retarded children and those without such cognitive handicaps. The relationship of depression to other forms of psychopathology in the group of 31 emotionally disturbed mentally retarded children was also examined. A wide range of disorders including schizophrenia, aggression, withdrawal, and hyperactivity were evaluated. These are the first empirical data with mentally retarded children in the United States that are aimed specifically at evaluating depression, and should be useful to the clinicians in better understanding the phenomenon.