Screening for Psychosocial Dysfunction in Children With Sickle Cell Anaemia

Abstract

Summary:  In order to find out whether sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is associated with increased risk for psychosocial disorders in Nigerian children, a psychosocial screening questionnaire, the paediatric symptoms checklist (PSC), was ad ministered to parents of 412 children (mean age 9 + 2.7 years) comprising 204 with SCA (patient group) and 208 with no haemoglobinopathy (control group). Mean PSC score for children with SCA was 19 † 8.2 and con trols 13.3 £ 6.5; median 18 and 12 respectively. Sample mean difference in PSC score between children with SCA and controls was 4.8, 95% confidence interval 3.3 to 6.3; (p < 0.001). Within groups, there was no significant dif ference between scores for boys and girls (SCA, P >0.1; Control p > 0.7). However, mean score for boys with SCA (19.1 8.2) was significantly higher than for boys in control group (13.3 + 6.3) and for girls, SCA sample mean score of 17.3 + 8.8 was higher than 13.0 + 6.2 for control girls (p <0.001). Thirty children with SCA (14.7%) and two (0.96%) controls scored >28 (cut off score for children with psychosocial problems) (p < 0.001). It is concluded that SCA is associated with psychosocial dysfunction in children. Therefore, health care programmes for children with SCA should include routine psychiatric evaluation.