Journal of International Psychiatry

[Abstract] Objective To investigate the effects of allergic rhinitis (AR) on cognition and mood in school-aged children. Methods Eighty children with AR from October 2021 to October 2022 were selected as the study population in this study and set up as the observation group. And 80 age- and gender-matched healthy children were selected to be set as the control group. The Self-Rating Scale for Depressive Disorders in Children (DSRSC), Self-Rating Scale for Anxiety in Children (SCARED), and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (C-WISC) were assessed in both groups. The correlation between the rhinitis symptom scores (TNSS) and the scores of the above-mentioned scales in the children in the observation group was analyzed. Results The DSRSC score and SCARED score in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group, and the C-WISC score was significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The TNSS score of the observation group (7.29±1.71) was positively correlated with the DSRSC score and SCARED score and negatively correlated with the C-WISC score (P<0.05). Conclusion School-age children have significant anxiety and depression, decreased cognitive function, and are associated with the severity of rhinitis.

Key words School-age children; Allergic rhinitis; Cognition; Emotion