Comorbid Psychiatric Problems among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in an Egyptian Sample

Abstract

The study aims to assess comorbid psychiatric problems among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in an Egyptian sample. A descriptive exploratory cross sectional design was utilized with a sample of 90 children diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder who attended the children's outpatient clinic of psychiatry department at Mansoura University Hospital. Data was collected by using three tools. Results revealed  that the majority of the studied sample had low and very low levels of socioeconomic status (53.4%), about two thirds (68.9%) of the studied sample have a moderate level of severity of autism symptoms, while (31.1%) of the studied patients have a high level of severity of autism symptoms. The most common comorbid psychiatric problems of studied sample were hyperactivity, learning problems, conduct problems, impulsive-hyperactive, anxiety and psychosomatic problems (19.07 ±3. 01), (9.91±1.01), (8.77 ±2.76), (8.32 ±1. 68), (6.16 ±1. 60) and (1.12±1.06) respectively. There is statistically significant correlation between severity of autism, and all comorbid psychiatric problems (except the anxiety) ( p ? 0.001). In conclusion, the results of the current study indicate the importance of early recognition of symptoms of autism, comorbid psychiatric problems and active involvement in comprehensive health educational programs for caregivers of children with ASD are recommended.