Mental health problems among schoolchildren in United Arab Emirates: prevalence and risk factors

To examine child psychiatric morbidity in an Arab culture.

Emotional and behavioral problems were investigated in 3,278 schoolchildren aged 6 to 15 years using a two-stage epidemiological study in Al Ain District, United Arab Emirates. Children were screened using standardized questionnaires completed by parents and school physicians in the first stage, and a stratified random sample were interviewed by a child psychiatrist in the second stage.

23.9% of children were reported to have a mental health problem by either the parent or the school health physician. Boys were more often reported to be having problems than girls (1.8:1). Using the Rutter A2 scale for parents, the prevalence estimate for behavioral disorders was 16.5%. The weighted prevalence for DSM-IV disorders was 10.4% for the entire population. The presence of certain culture-specific risk factors such as male gender, number of children in the household, polygamy, and low socioeconomic status were identified for psychiatric disorders. A positive family history and consanguinity were the most significant factors associated with learning disorders.

The prevalence rates of child psychiatric disorders and the symptomatology observed in this Middle East community are similar to those reported in Western studies.