Anxiety Disorders among Children/Adolescents in Tirana, Albania: Descriptive Data about Socio-Demographic Factors and Symptoms

Anxiety symptoms during childhood are more common than had previously thought and they represent a risk factor to develop anxiety disorders during the life. This article is part of a broader study on parenting styles and anxiety disorders ongoing in Albania in children/adolescents. The aim it is to describe sociodemografic factors of the study group, the frequency and characteristics of the predominant anxiety symptoms. Method: 50 consecutive children, who attended Tirana Child/Adolescent Psychiatry Service, aged 8-20 years old (42% male), were assessed using self-report forms and were interviewed from a child/adolescent psychiatrist, during a three month period April - September 2011. Results: The mean age of the study group was 9.5 (SD = 4.436). More than one in four (26.41%) children resulted having higher scores than cut off, in all anxiety disorders. Significant differences were found in all dependent variables based on gender of the subjects, (P < .001), on age (P < .001) and correlation between different variables (P < .001). In terms of gender, the changes were significant in all subscales, with higher scores in girls than in boys (P < .001); the only exception was related to the symptoms of OCD, in which there weren’t significant differences. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of early identification of anxiety symptoms in children, aiming early intervention and prevention of these disorders. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n2p29

CREŞTEREA NUMĂRULUI DE CAZURI DE PSIHOZĂ ÎN RÂNDUL GRUPURILOR DE EMIGRANŢI: ESTE MIGRAŢIA UN FACTOR DE RISC PENTRU PSIHOZĂ?

Background: Emigration is a process of social changing through which an individual moves from a certain cultural environment/context to another, aiming to achieve persistent or long-term residency.  This process is inevitably distressing, and the stress could be the cause of any mental disorder.   Objective: Summary of data from different studies, regarding emigration as a risk factor for development of different psychosis. Method: Search of scientific articles (written in English language) from MEDLINE, which study the incidence of mental disorders in different emigrant populations, for period 1990 - 2010. Results: The average relative risk of schizophrenia and of other psychosis occurrence among first generation emigrants was 2.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]=2.3-3.2). Statistical analysis performed among studies of first and second generation of emigrants, and among studies which don’t make difference between generations, results in a relative risk of 2.9 (95% CI=2.5-3.4) of mental illness. Conclusions: Emigration process, cultural and social adaptation, plays an important role on the individual mental health. A personal or family emigration history represents an important risk factor for developing schizophrenia and other psychosis.      Keywords: emigrants, psychosis, prevalenceContext: Emigraţia este un proces social de schimbare, prin care un individ trece dintr-un anumit mediu cultural &icirc;n altul, av&acirc;nd drept scop obţinerea rezidenţei pe termen lung. Inevitabil, acest proces este unul dureros, iar stresul ar putea fi cauza oricărei tulburări psihice. Obiectiv: Sinteza datelor provenite din studii diferite, &icirc;n ceea ce privește emigrarea ca factor de risc pentru dezvoltarea diferitelor psihoze. Metodă: Revzia articolelor științifice (scrise &icirc;n limba engleză) din MEDLINE, care studiază incidența tulburărilor mentale, &icirc;n diferite populații emigrante, pentru perioada 1990-2010. Rezultate: Riscul relativ mediu al schizofreniei și a aparitiei altor psihoze &icirc;n r&acirc;ndul imigranţilor din prima generație a fost de 2,7 (interval de &icirc;ncredere 95% [CI] = 2.3-3.2). Analiza statistică realizată pe studii referitor la prima și a doua generație de imigranți, dar şi pe studiile care nu fac diferența &icirc;ntre generații, a avut ca rezultat un risc relativ de boli psihice de 2,9 (interval de &icirc;ncredere 95% = 2.5-3.4). Concluzii: Procesul emigrării, adaptarea culturală și socială, joacă un rol important asupra sănătății mintale individuale. Antecedentele personale sau familiale de emigrare reprezintă un factor de risc important pentru dezvoltarea schizofreniei şi a altor psihoze. &nbsp; Cuvinte cheie: emigranți, psihoză, prevalenț