A Cross-Sectional Study On Psychiatric Disorders among Poor Academic Performance Primary School (6-12 Years) Children with Substance Use Disorders in Their Parents

Abstract

Abstract Background: Psychiatric disorders are more prevalent among children with poor academic performance. There is limited literature on the impact of substance use disorders (SUD) in parents on psychiatric symptoms of these children. Objectives: (1) To assess the psychiatric disorders in primary school (6–12 years) children with poor academic performance. (2) To assess the prevalence and type of SUD in parents of these children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on children with poor academic performance. Simple randomization was adopted and 115 children and their parents were included in the study. Mini International Neuropsychiatry Interview-Kid (M.I.N.I. Kid) was used to screen psychiatric symptoms and various scales were used to assess the severity of symptoms. Parents of these children were interviewed for the presence of SUD. The diagnosis was made as per the International Classification of Diseases tenth revision (ICD-10). The association between psychiatric disorders and parental SUD was assessed using Chi-square test. Results: The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 54.78% and most prevalent disorder was emotional disorders with onset specific to childhood with prevalence of 21.74%. Prevalence of SUD among parents of these children was found to be 18.26% and alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) was more common type (12.17%). There was no significant association between psychiatric disorders in these children and SUD in their parents (χ2-2.93, df-10, P = 2013-.98). Conclusion: Emotional disorders with onset specific to childhood are more commonly prevalent psychiatric disorders among children with poor academic performance. A study found no significant association between SUD among parents of these children and psychiatric symptoms.