Depressive symptoms in children with chronic gastrointestinal disorders.

BACKGROUND: Children with chronic illness may exhibit depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms among children attending a paediatric gastroenterologyoutpatient clinic in Malaysia. It also evaluated whether the prevalence differed by age, gender and diagnosis. METHODS: This was a cross sectional study, with data collected over a 16-month period (April 2010 to July 2011). Patients aged 7 to 17 years on follow-up at the paediatric gastroenterologyclinic at University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, were recruited consecutively. They were classified into high, average and low scores based on their responses to questions in the Children's Depression Inventory(CDI; T-score >55: high, T-score 45-55: average; T-score Language: en