The prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms and syndromes in Kenyan children and adolescents

Abstract

Background: Community studies on children and adolescents in Western settings suggest prevalence rates of anxiety and depressive symptoms that require intervention. Aim: To establish equivalent prevalence rates in a Kenyan (developing country) situation Method: Self-administered questionnaires for socio-demographic data, three Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fourth Edition (DSM-IV)-based instruments for anxiety symptoms and syndromes in children, one instrument for depression and one culture sensitive instrument for depression and anxiety were administered in three different sets to 3 775 randomly sampled students drawn from a stratified sample of 34.7% of all public secondary schools in Nairobi, Kenya. Results: The prevalence rates of anxiety and depression symptoms and syndromes varied widely depending on sex …