Citation

Jayanath S, Lee WS, Chinna K, Boey CC. Pediatr. Int. 2014; 56(4): 583-587.

Affiliation

Department of Paediatrics, University of Malaya, Jalan Universiti, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Japan Pediatric Society, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/ped.12335

PMID

24617982

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Children with chronic illness may exhibit depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms among children attending a paediatric gastroenterology outpatient clinic in Malaysia. It also evaluated whether the prevalence differed by age, gender and diagnosis. METHODS: This was a cross sectional study, with data collected over a 16-month period (April 2010 to July 2011). Patients aged 7 to 17 years on follow-up at the paediatric gastroenterology clinic at University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, were recruited consecutively. They were classified into high, average and low scores based on their responses to questions in the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI; T-score >55: high, T-score 45-55: average; T-score <45: low). Children with high scores were considered to have depressive symptoms. RESULTS: The response rate was 93%. One hundred (n=100; 44 boys; 56 girls) children were studied. Major diagnoses were: functional abdominal pain (n=22), inflammatory bowel disease (n=26), biliary atresia (n=17) and miscellaneous gastrointestinal conditions (n=35). The overall prevalence of high CDI scores for depressive symptoms was 27.0%, while 43.0% and 30.0% had average and low scores respectively. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of high scores among children with different diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms were common among children attending a paediatric gastroenterology clinic. It is important to recognise symptoms of depression in children with gastrointestinal disorders.

Language: en