Emotional and behavioral problems of children-adolescents aged 4-18 in Changsha

Objective:To investigate the state of children' s emotions and behaviors and to provide some basis of taking some concerning intervening measures.Methods:Totally 1657 children and adolescents in kindergarten,primary school and middle school were selected in the city of Changsha by stratified random sampling.They were assessed with the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire(SDQ).Results:According to the SDQ total score,the rate of abnormal emotion and behavior among in this sample was 13.5%,and the rate of abnormal emotion in male students was lower than that in female students(9.3% vs.13.8%,P0.01),while the rates of behavior problem(14.7% vs.11.0%),hyperactivity-inattention(17.4% vs.10.2%),peer interaction(32.8% vs.27.7%),total point of difficulty(15.3% vs.11.9%) and the influence degree(8.7% vs.5.3%) in male students were all higher than those in the females(Ps0.05).The rates of behavior problem(15.7% vs.9.6%),peer interaction(35.2% vs.24.8%),prosocial behavior(18.9% vs.9.7%),total point of difficulty(15.4% vs.11.5%) were higher in those from rural areas than in those from urban areas(Ps0.05).The rates of aprosexia were higher in kindergarten students and primary school students were higher in than that in middle school students(18.2%,19.8% vs.9.0%,Ps0.05).The rates of peer interaction(34.2% vs.22.6%) and prosocial behavior(16.9% vs.10.3%) in middle school students were higher than that in primary school students(Ps0.01).Conclusion:The study suggests that the emotional and behavior problems of different genders,regions and ages may be different,thus the classified interventions are required.