Epidemiological Study of Youth Mental Health Using Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)

Background: Prevention and treatment of youths' mental disorders are important, not just for to diminish their present problems but to improve their functions in adulthood. This study was performed to evaluate the mental health status of 6-18 years old youths in a community-based sample using the strength and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ). Methods: Parent of 2000 youths (6-18 years old) were selected from 250 clusters from different municipality areas of Isfahan, Iran and they responded to extended version of SDQ parent's form. The mean score in each subscale and prevalence of symptom and relation with some demographic features were determined. Results: The total score of SDQ was 26%, means that 26% of youth had psychiatric problems. By determining the subscale score, it reveals that conduct disorder (34.7%) was the most common problem in youth followed by peer relationship problems (25.4%), emotional problems (24.5%), hyperactivity (23%) and impairment of prosocial behavior (5.7%). Conclusion: Our findings showed that mental health of youth population in Isfahan especially the conduct problem needs more attention.