Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
30. Ulusal Çocuk ve Ergen Ruh Sağlığı ve Hastalıkları Kongresi, Ankara, Türkiye, 20 - 22 Mayıs 2021, ss.213
Objectives: In recent years, studies with children and adolescents rared in institutional care have shown that
externalizing symptoms such as hyperactivity, aggression, anti-social behavior, as well as internalizing symptoms
such as depression, anxiety, and difficulties in emotion regulation are higher than population sample. Although it
has been shown in many studies that children in institutional care have a high level of behavioral and emotional
problems and have many risk factors that would predispose to the development of mental disorders, studies in our
country that examine the mental health of children in institutional care and possible factors that may cause mental
disorder are very limited. In this study, it was planned to examine the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics
of the children and adolescents in the institutional care of Saray Child Houses Site in Ankara and to evaluate
possible mental disorders. Methods: Sample of the study was composed of children and adolescents who were
protected under institutional care of Saray Child Houses Site in Ankara and who applied to Ankara Yıldırım
Beyazıt University Yenimahalle Training and Research Hospital Child and Adolescent Mental Health and
Diseases outpatient clinics between 15.09.2019-15.01.2020 for various reasons. The participants were screened
retrospectively for their sociodemographic features, whether they had special needs, and psychiatric diagnoses
determined by clinical interview according to DSM 5. Results: Ninety-one children and adolescents rared in
institutional care were examined in the study, 82 (90.1%) were boys. It was determined that the participants whose
average age was 120.5 ± 24.9 months were under the institutional care for an average of 3.57 ± 2.89 years. It was
determined that they applied with the complaints of hyperactivity / attention problems (29, 31.8%), temper
tantrums (15, 16.5%), renewal of medical board report for special education (14, 15.4%). Eighty-three (91.2%) of
the participants had at least one psychiatric diagnosis and the most common of these diagnoses were attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder (51, 56%), mild mental retardation (24, 26.3%), depression (17, 18.6%) and conduct
disorders (15, 16.5%). It was determined that there were 46 (50.5%) children with special educational needs, and
children with special educational needs have significantly more co-psychiatric diagnoses than those without
special needs (p:0.038). Children with special educational needs were found to stay on a significantly longer
duration in the institution (p:0.015). Conclusion: In this study, sociodemographic characteristics and psychiatric
diagnoses and treatments of children and adolescents in institutional care who applied to child psychiatry were
evaluated. It is seen that the vast majority of applicant children and adolescents have multiple psychiatric diagnoses
and multiple drug use is chosen for their treatment. It is known that children and adolescents in institutional care
have many risk factors that predispose to the development of mental disorders. It is necessary to evaluate the
mental health problems of children in institutional care as a holistic, determine the factors that negatively affect
their mental health and cognitive development, and generate goal oriented interventions. It also suggests that
increase in future studies in this area may contribute to preventive mental health services.