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Table 3 Association between clinical variables and polypharmacy in children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders in Botswana, January 2012 to July 2016

From: Polypharmacy among children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders in a mental referral hospital in Botswana

Risk factors

Mono –pharmacy

N (%)

Polypharmacy N (%)

df

χ2

p

Age group

 ≤10

27 (58.7)

19 (41.3)

1

5.319

0.021

 >10

58 (78.4)

16 (21.6)

   

Gender

 Female

29 (74.4)

10 (25.6)

1

0.348

0.555

 Male

56 (69.1)

25 (30.9)

   

Birth order

 First born

16(39.0)

25(61.0)

1

3.322

0.068

 Others

17(23.0)

57(77.0)

   

Past psychiatric history

 Absent

14 (58.3)

10 (41.7)

1

2.269

0.132

 Present

71 (74.0)

25 (26.0)

   

Medical history

 Absent

78 (71.6)

31 (28.4)

1

0.307

0.582

 Present

7 (63.6)

4 (36.4)

   

Psychiatrist care

 Not given

64 (66.0)

33 (34.0)

1

5.772

0.016

 Given

21 (91.3)

2 (8.7)

   

Psychiatric co-morbidity

 Absent

43 (84.3)

8 (15.7)

1

7.802

0.005

 Present

42 (60.9)

27 (39.1)

   

Physical co-morbidity

 Absent

77 (72.6)

29 (27.4)

1

1.438

0.230

 Present

8 (57.1)

6 (42.9)

   

Diagnosis

 Externalizing disorders

26 (60.5)

17 (39.5)

2

5.524

0.063

 Internalizing disorders

7 (100)

-

   

 Others

52 (74.3)

18 (25.7)

   

Psychotropic side effect

 Absent

75 (75.8)

24 (24.2)

1

6.640

0.010

 Present

10 (47.6)

11 (52.4)

   

Mode of care

 In-patient

22 (71.0)

9 (29.0)

1

0.000

0.985

 Out-patient

63 (70.8)

26 (29.2)

   

Type of intervention

 Only Pharmacological

30 (68.2)

14 (31.8)

1

0.28

0.866

 Both Psychological and pharmacological

46 (69.7)

20 (30.3)

   
  1. Significant p-value in italics, χ2 = Chi-square, df degree of freedom, p = P value