Prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among parents of children with intellectual disability

BACKGROUND: Intellectual disability is a permanent disabling condition, and caregivers are more vulnerable to develop mental illness. There is little data in developing countries, such as India, concerning about psychological issues in caregivers of intellectually disabled children. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to find the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and correlation between sociodemographic factors and psychiatric morbidity in parents of children with intellectual disability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was carried out among 60 parents of children with intellectual disability at the outpatient Department of Psychiatry, Tertiary Care Centre, India. Parents, who fulfill the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study, were interviewed by using semi-structured pro forma, International Disease Classification-10 criteria for mental illness, Beck Depression Inventory and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test. RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive disorder was 28.33%, anxiety disorder was 18.33%, and other psychiatric disorders was 8.33% (psychotic disorder 3.33%, insomnia 1.66%, and alcohol use disorder 3.33%) and total psychiatric morbidity was about 55% in parents of children with intellectual disability. CONCLUSION: The study shows high psychiatric morbidity in parents of children with intellectual disability, and psychiatric screening should be considered among parents of children with intellectual disability.