Prevalence of self-reported trauma in a sample of Iranian children is low and unrelated to parents’ education or current employment status

• Main Authors: Morteza Shamohammadi, Maryam Salmanian, Mohammad-Reza Mohammadi, Dena Sadeghi Bahmani, Edith Holsboer-Trachsler, Serge Brand
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação Brasileira de Psiquiatria (ABP) 2018-12-01
• Series: Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry
• Subjects: Trauma symptoms; prevalence; socioeconomic status; education
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-44462018005010106&lng=en&tlng=en

Objective: In Western countries, the prevalence of childhood trauma (CT) ranges from 15 to 25%. CT might be indirectly associated with lower parental socioeconomic status and educational attainments. The aims of this cross-sectional study were fourfold: to assess prevalence of CT in a large sample of Iranian children; to compare the Iranian prevalence rates with those of Western countries; to explore gender-specific patterns; and to explore possible socioeconomic predictors. Method: The sample comprised 608 children (mean age 11.49 years, 51.5% females). All completed the Farsi version of the Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children. Additionally, parents reported on their current employment status and highest educational level. Results: Trauma symptoms were reported by 20 of 295 boys and 23 of 313 girls. The overall prevalence was 7.1%. Child-reported trauma symptoms were not associated with parents’ socioeconomic status or highest educational level. Compared to prevalence findings from U.S. national surveys (ranging from 15-25% of children and adolescents), the prevalence among 11- and 12-year-olds in the present study was considerably lower. Conclusions: The overall prevalence of reported trauma symptoms among a large sample of Iranian children was unrelated to parents’ socioeconomic status, and was lower than that reported in U.S. surveys.