Ethnocultural features of the formation and clinical course of mental retardation in children of older preschool age living in the territory of the Trans-Baikal territory

Background. In the nosological structure of mental disorders in children and adolescents, intellectual impairments predominate. In the mid-2000s a correlation was determined between clinical manifestations of mental retardation (environmentally conditioned cognitive disorders) and neuroimmune-endocrine disorders in children in the ecologically unfavorable region of Transbaikalia. The study of regional features of the formation and development of intellectual disorders among children living in various regions of the Russian Federation has always been of interest to domestic psychiatrists and has served as an incentive for the development of evidence-based programs for the comprehensive rehabilitation of children with mental retardation. Objective: to study the characteristic clinical manifestations of intellectual disorders in children aged 6-7 years living in the Trans-Baikal Territory, taking into account ethnocultural characteristics. Material and Methods. Three-stage study: 1) collection and processing of archival materials (morbidity and sickness rate of mental disorders per 100,000 child population, 2) continuous examination of 6-7-year-old children living in the city of Chita (n=713) and in the village Aginskoye (n=259). Mental and behavioral disorders were diagnosed according to ICD-10, 3) assessment of risk factors for the development of mental retardation in children of the Trans-Baikal Territory using multivariate stepwise regression analysis. Results. Insufficient detection of mental retardation among children of the Aginsky Buryat District was established. In the sample of children of Buryat nationality, scattered neurological symptoms, general motor retardation and mental retardation were found with a higher frequency. Neuropsychological examination of these children revealed immaturity of the parietal cortex and general cerebral immaturity. Conclusion. The ethnocultural factor must be considered significant in the occurrence of mental retardation, which is confirmed by the results of factor analysis.