Abstract
Children with specific learning disabilities are at a greater risk of mental health problems than their non-disabled peers. Further interventions and research will be required. This is a cross-sectional study. A sample of 107 students (7 to 11 years old) with specific learning disabilities were randomly selected from educational and rehabilitation settings in Tehran. The Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) (parent checklist) was administered. Among children studied, 86 subjects (82.8 %) in some of the categories of psychiatric symptoms gained scores above the cut-off point. The most prevalent psychiatric symptoms were related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. There were not any statistically significant differences between the genders. In addition to direct education, 15 subjects (14 %) were receiving medication, 2 subjects (1.9 %) were receiving only occupational therapy, 2 subjects (1.9 %) were receiving only speech therapy, and 5 subjects (4.7 %) were receiving both occupational and speech therapy. The emphasis on considering co-morbid symptoms and usage of mental health services are important issues for students with specific learning difficulties.
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Acknowledgments
This project was supported by a grant from Iran University of Medical Sciences. The authors would like to thank the directors of the SLD centers especially Khazraee, Abedini, Afshar and Soleymani.
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Esmaili, S.K., Shafaroodi, N., Mehraban, A.H. et al. Prevalence of Psychiatric Symptoms and Mental Health Services in Students with Specific Learning Disabilities in Tehran, Iran. Int J Ment Health Addiction 14, 438–448 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9617-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-015-9617-3