| Objectives: Cystic fbrosis (CF) is a progressive genetic disorder. So far, no study, to the best of our knowledge, has
investigated the psychiatric disorders of CF patients in Iran. Therefore, the present research aimed to determine the frequency
of psychiatric disorders in patients with CF.
Materials and Methods: A number of 40 patients (24 boys vs. 16 girls) with CF within the age range of 5-18 years were
included in this descriptive cross-sectional study, who attended the CF Clinic of Tabriz Children’s hospital. A demographic
questionnaire and the Farsi version of Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-present and lifetime
(K-SADS-PL, a semi-structured interview) were administered to determine the psychiatric disorders of these patients.
Results: Based on the results, separation anxiety was the most common psychiatric disorder (52.5%) among the patients
followed by oppositional defant (35%), major depressive (35%), general anxiety (32.5%), and enuresis (22.5%) disorders.
The average age of the patients was 9.95 ± 0.85 years. In addition, the frequency of major depressive disorder was
signifcantly higher in patients above 11 years old. Finally, the incidence of separation anxiety disorder was higher in girls
within both age groups while enuresis disorder was signifcantly more frequent in boys of two age groups.
Conclusions: The importance of screening psychiatric disorders was identifed based on a high frequency of psychiatric
disorders in patients with CF. Therefore, early determination of psychiatric disorders allows for early referral to psychiatric
services and thus may result in improving their life quality. |