Prevalence of behavioral disorders among adolescent students of Zanjan province (2009-2010)

    Background: Given the importance of behavioral disorders in adolescents as a substantial public health problem in our country, understanding the prevalence of these disorders among adolescents is an essential component of health policies for provision of mental health and other services.   Objective: This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of emotional and behavioral disorders among high school adolescents of Zanjan province.   Methods: This prevalence study was conducted in (2009-2010) on 750 high school adolescents of Zanjan province with a mean age of 15.36±0.5 years. Data was collected from teachers in the end of the school year using the standardized Teacher's Report Form (TRF) with a 95.5% response rate.   Findings: The total prevalence of behavioral symptoms was 27.8%, with 27.3% for girls and 28.3% for boys. The difference between the two sexes was not significant. Nevertheless, the prevalence rate of "Anxious/Depressed" syndrome was higher in girls than boys (P<0.05), and that of "Rule-Breaking Behavior" higher in boys than girls (P<0.01). In addition, the "Anxious/Depressed" and "Attention Problems" were found to have the highest and lowest prevalence rates among girls while the "Rule-Breaking Behavior" and "Attention Problems" had the highest and lowest prevalence rates among boys, respectively.   Conclusion: Given the findings of present study, the prevalence rate of behavior disorders among adolescents of Zanjan province was high and this makes it necessary to pay special attention to the problem areas covered by TRF in the mental health care programs of adolescents.