Abstract

Background and purpose: Behavioral and personality traits of family members, especially the parents can affect a child's behavior. According to high prevalence of mental disorders in Iran, this study was conducted to determine the relationship between personality disorders in parents and psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional-analytical survey was performed in children and adolescents aged 6-18 years in Ilam and its suburbs, west of Iran, 2018-2019. A total of 1022 children and adolescents were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Semi-structured interviews were carried out and data were collected using Kiddie-SADS-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) and Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory. Data analysis was done applying descriptive statistics and calculation of odds ratio with 95 confidence interval. Results: The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 10.80 in boys and 8.15 in girls. The most prevalent disorders in boys were depression (0.81), enuresis (3.67 ), hyperactivity (1.84 ), and specific fear (1.22 ) and in girls separation anxiety (4.17) was more common. Findings showed significant direct relationships between depressive personality disorder in mothers and depression in children (OR= 1.07, 95 CI: 1-1.14, P=0.02) and between depressive personality disorder in fathers and nocturnal enuresis in children (OR= 1.07, 95 CI: 1.01-1.14, P=0.02), and also between avoidant personality disorder in fathers and specific fear disorder in children (OR=1.09, 95 CI: 1-1.20, P=0.04). Conclusion: In this study, we observed high prevalence of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents that are significantly linked to the personality traits of parents and should be taken into account in making diagnosis and designing interventions. © 2023, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.