Reprint of: Social phobia and other psychiatric problems in children with strabismus.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the rate of social phobia, anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric problems in children with strabismus.

DESIGN

Prospective, cross-sectional, case-control study.

PARTICIPANTS

Forty-two children with strabismus and 47 control subjects 8-13 years of age were enrolled in this study.

METHODS

After the ophthalmologist's examination, all cases were assessed by a psychiatrist based on the structured interview technique of Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children-Present and Lifetime Version (Kiddie-SADS-PL). The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) was administered to each subject to evaluate social phobia. All participants completed the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI).

RESULTS

Age as well as sex and income were comparable between the strabismus patients and control groups. Social phobia was diagnosed in 8 (19.04%) of the 42 strabismic children and in 1 (2.12%) of the control subjects. The CDI and SCARED (total score, social phobia, separation anxiety) scores of strabismus patients were significantly higher than the control group (p = 0.001, p = 0.004, p = 0.0001, p = 0.05, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

A relationship between strabismus in children and social phobia, depression, and anxiety on a symptom basis was underlined by our data.