The identification and grading of the psychosocial impact of in primary school children in a semi-urban area of Rivers State, Nigeria.

Introduction: Tinea capitis is a fungal skin disease, which is not life-threatening but could affect the psychosocial life of those suffering from it. Thus, this study sought to identify and grade the psychosocial impact related to Tinea capitis in primary school children.

Subjects And Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving primary school children in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State. These children had been clinically diagnosed with Tinea capitis. The Children Dermatology Life Quality Index instrument was used to identify the presence of a psychosocial impact, which was graded as none, mild, moderate, and severe. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20 software was used for analysis, and statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.

Results: A total of 184 children aged 6-12 years with Tinea capitis participated in the study. The mean age of the children was 9.5 ± 2.9 years. The male-to-female ratio was 2.5:1. More than half of the children (58.2%, n = 127) had mild-to-severe psychosocial impact. The psychosocial impact was significantly higher (P = 0.02) among the female children (61.5%; n = 32) than the male children (41.7%; n = 20). In addition, female children with Tinea capitis were 2.2 times more likely to suffer a psychosocial impact than their male counterparts (odds ratio = 2.2; 95% confidence interval: 1.16-4.32). There were no significant differences in the psychosocial impact across the age categories (P = 0.859).

Conclusion: Tinea capitis has a psychosocial impact on the daily lives of school children, with more than half of the children experiencing mild-to-severe grades of psychosocial impact. Collaboration between mental health physicians and pediatric dermatologists is encouraged to address the effect of Tinea capitis on the psychosocial life of school children, especially the female children.