Comparison of psychiatric symptoms among 8- to 9-year-old children in Finland and Russia

Abstract

This investigation assessed psychiatric symptoms among children aged 8-9 years in Finland and in Russia and compared differences in psychiatric symptoms in the countries. We studied 1268 Finnish and 1567 Russian children, using 3 questionnaires. Parents filled out the Rutter Scale A2, teachers filled out the Rutter Scale B2, and the children themselves filled out the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Russian children were reported to have more psychiatric symptoms than Finnish children. In particular, hyperactive and psychosomatic symptoms were more prevalent in Russia. Similar numbers of children in the two countries scored above the 90th percentile on at least one of the scales. Russian boys scored higher than their Finnish counterparts on three factors constructed of Rutter Scale A2 items (externalizing, hyperactivity, and psychosomatic factors), and Russian girls scored higher than Finnish girls on two factors (hyperactivity and psychosomatic factors). When a child scored high on at least one of the scales used, there were differences in scoring on the hyperactivity factor among both girls and boys. Russian children also scored higher than Finnish ones on three factors extracted from CDI items (ineffectiveness, interpersonal problems, and pessimistic worrying). Both the Russian boys and girls who scored high on at least one of the scales used scored higher than their Finnish counterparts on two factors (ineffectiveness and pessimistic worrying), and deviant Russian girls scored higher on the negative mood factor than Finnish girls.