The Prevalence of Anxiety and its related Factors among School-age Children in South West of Iran

Background Anxiety is one of the most common childhood disorders, so it is necessary to explore extend and its related factors in the students. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of anxiety and the related factors of anxiety among the children aged 9-12 years. Materials and Methods At a descriptive-analytic study 623 children aged 9-12 year- old who were studying in the fourth to sixth grade of elementary school in Dezful city, were selected through multistage random sampling.  The data were collected using demographic profile questionnaire and School Anxiety Scale (SAS) using SPSS-16. Results Of total 623 students, 36.3% were girls. 232 (37.2%) students had mild anxiety, 304 students (48.8%) had moderate anxiety and 87 students (14%) had severe anxiety. There was a significant relationship between the mean score of children anxiety and the number of children in family (P<0.05). There was a significant relationship between the mean score of children anxiety and the history of hereditary disease (P< .05) and the between the mean score of children anxiety and educational level was not significantly (P> 0.0.5). Conclusion This study showed that the prevalence of anxiety was higher in boyes, children who were single children, children who had a family history of hereditary disease, and children who experienced corporal punishment at home. It is recommended arranging programs including training, counseling, and psychotherapy ones for these children and their families.

Keywords:

Anxiety , Iran , Prevalence , school children