The Prevalence of Behavioral Problems Among Primary School Children in Outskirts of Mashhad City, Iran

Background: Planning to decrease mental health problems in children requires knowledge of the extent and type of behavioral problems in this age group. Given that children comprise a large proportion of the population in the outskirt areas of cities, evaluation of the prevalence of behavioral problems in children in outskirt areas could be effective in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders. Objectives: The aim of this study, performed during year 2015, was to detect the prevalence of behavioral problems in children in the outskirt areas of Mashhad city, Iran. Methods: This was a descriptive study. The study sample that was selected by the accessible sampling method consisted of 450 males, who were in the first to fifth grade. The instrument used to measure behavioral problems was the Achenbach child behavior checklist, which was completed by parents. The findings were analyzed by the SPSS 19 software using descriptive statistics. Results: The prevalence of behavioral problems on elementary school males was 36.44% on outskirts of Mashhad. The most common behavioral problem was defiant behavioral problems with 23.11% prevalence and social problems with the lowest prevalence of 7.33%. On scholastic grades, the students of the second grade most commonly had behavioral problems with a prevalence of 25.6% and the students of the fifth grade least frequently had behavioral problems with a prevalence of 13.4%. Conclusions: The prevalence of childhood behavioral problems in outskirts of Mashhad was large. These results suggest that more attention to children of outskirt areas and precise planning for reducing their behavioral problems is necessary.