Abstract:

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate behavioral disorders in the children and the adolescents diagnosed with short stature. Methods:  The study included the patients presenting to the pediatrics and the pediatric endocrinology clinics between 1 December 2012 and 1 April 2012. A hundred patients diagnosed with short stature were assigned into the patient group and 100 patients with normal stature were assigned into the control group. Informed consent was obtained from the patients and their families. The participants were administered the DSM-IV based Disruptive Behavioral Disorders Screening and Rating Scale and a questionnaire composed of questions about socio-demographic features. p <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean age of the control group and the patient group was 11.67±2.04 years and 11.86±2.63 years respectively. The groups were similar in terms of the mean age (p=0.356) and gender (p=0.322). The patient group got 6.27±6.01 for the attention deficit subscale, 6.58±5.18 for the hyperactivity subscale, 5.68±4.85 for the oppositional-defiant subscale and 1.59±3.18 for the behavioral scale. The control group received 5.64±4.64 for the attention-deficit subscale, 5.30±4.88 for the hyperactivity subscale, 4.55±4.32 for the oppositional-defiant subscale and 2.08±3.79 for the behavioral scale. The two groups were similar in terms of their scores for the attention deficit subscale (p=0.407), the hyperactivity subscale (p=0.074), the oppositional-defiant subscale (p=0.084) and the behavioral scale (p=0.324). In addition, of all the patients in the control group, 8 had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 7 had oppositional-defiant disorder and 6 had behavioral disorder. Of the patients in the patient group, 8 had attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder, 15 had oppositional-defiant disorder and 2 had behavioral disorder. No significant differences were found in attention deficit- hyperactivity disorder (p=1.000), oppositional-defiant disorder (p=0.071) and behavioral disorder (p=0.150) between the groups. Conclusion: The study revealed that the children and the adolescents diagnosed with short stature had similar behavioral disorders to the patients without short stature. However, it is still of great importance to keep in mind that familial support and positive attitudes of the social network play an important role in psychology of children and adolescents with short stature.

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