Prevalence of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders in Santiago, Chile: A community epidemiological study

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders in a representative sample of children and adolescents living in Santiago, Chile, as part of a national sample. Method Subjects aged 4-18 were selected using a stratified multistage design. First, ten municipalities/comunas of Santiago were selected; then the blocks, homes, and child or adolescent to be interviewed were chosen. Psychology graduate students administered the Spanish-language, computer-assisted version of DISC-IV that estimated DSM-IV 12-month prevalence. Results: A total of 792 children and adolescents were evaluated, with a participation rate of 76.7%. The most stringent impairment DSM-IV DISC algorithm for psychiatric disorders revealed a prevalence of 25.4% (20.7% for boys and 30.3% for girls). The majority of the diagnoses corresponded to anxiety and affective disorders. Prevalence was higher in children aged 4-11 (31.9%) than in adolescents aged 12-18 (18.2%). This difference was mainly accounted f