Background
Mental retardation is a condition of incomplete development of the mind, which is
specially characterized by impairment of skills manifested during the development
period, contributing to decrease the overall level of intelligence ICD-10.
Methodolgy
The study is an unmatched case–control study; the cases and controls were
diagnosed according to the ICD-10 criteria, and the cases of mental retardation were
subjected to psychometric assessment by using the Stanford Binet, version 4 or
Vinland Maturity Scale. The controls were those with psychiatric disorders but were
not mentally retarded.
Results
The highest percentage of mental retardation was the borderline type and the lowest
was the severe type (30.2 and 2.7%, respectively). There was a significant odds ratio
for the mothers of age group 30–34 years in the Vinland Maturity Scale group cases.
In addition, there was a significant odds ratio for the fathers of age group above 50
years old, who were nine times more liable to have mentally retarded children.
Conclusion
There is a need for further studies of the risk factors for mental retardation among
children, as our study results for this subgroup may be unique to a particular
geographic area. |
