Related Experiment Videos
Psychiatric disorder in children with birth anomalies. A retrospective follow-up study
Insights
Children with congenital malformations show high rates of psychopathological disturbance, including developmental deviations and organic brain disorders. Behavioral issues were similar to controls, but parents of malformed children had higher rates of psychiatric treatment.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Congenital malformations can impact child development and mental health.
- Understanding long-term psychological outcomes is crucial for affected children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the prevalence of psychopathological disturbances in children and adolescents with congenital malformations.
- To compare behavioral problems in malformed children with a control group.
- To investigate potential risk factors, such as parental psychiatric history.
Main Methods:
- Psychiatric interviews with 273 children (aged 8-19) and their parents.
- Wechsler intelligence testing for children.
- Teacher-rated behavioral assessments for malformed children and 509 controls.
Main Results:
- 49% of malformed children exhibited psychopathological disturbances, including organic brain disorder and mental retardation.
- Developmental deviations (18%), psychoneurotic disorder (17%), and reactive disorder (11%) were common.
- Behavioral problems and antisocial behavior rates were similar between malformed children and controls.
- Parents of malformed children reported higher rates of psychiatric treatment compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Children treated for congenital malformations face a significant risk of psychopathological disturbances.
- While overt behavioral issues may not differ from controls, underlying psychological conditions are prevalent.
- Parental psychiatric history may be a relevant factor in the overall health of children with congenital malformations.
Abstract:
A group of 273 children and adolescents, aged 8 to 19 years, who had been treated for a congenital malformation during their 1st month of life, were studied using psychiatric interviews with the child and at least one of his parents. The child was also given a Wechsler intelligence test. The rate of psychopathological disturbance was as high as 49% (the classification used included organic brain disorder and mental retardation). Developmental deviations, psychoneurotic disorder and reactive disorder were the commonest types of disturbance (in 18, 17, and 11% respectively). Eleven percent were suffering from organic brain disorder and 8% had an IQ of no more than 50. The malformed children were compared with 509 children from the general population in terms of behaviour disturbance as rated by their teacher. Approximately one child in five in both groups presented behaviour problems, and behaviour was labelled as antisocial in 10% of children in both groups. The two groups of children did not differ significantly in regard to the family's social class, annual income, father's educational background, or the number of children in the family, but the parents of the malformed children had recieved psychiatric treatment more often than the control group parents.