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Abstract Objectives: This study was designed to examine the prevalence of depression among primary school children in Mashhad. Method: For this study 2071 four and five grade (10-12 years old) children (1049 boys, 1022 girls) were selected through random cluster sampling from all the seven educational districts in Mashhad they were assessed in 1999–2000 using the Children Depression Inventory (CDI). The data were analyzed and further interpreted through application of non- parametric tests and statistical methods, Kolmogorov- Smirnov, Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Walis, and linear correlation coefficients. Findings: The study demonstrated that the frequency of depression with a cut off point 20 in this city was 10.3% depression was more prevalent among girls than boys (girls 13.1%, boys 7.6%). Moreover, the following variables were shown to effect childhood depression: divorce, changing neighborhood, changing school, family’s socio-economic status, number of family members, traces of neuropsychiatric disorders in the family, and death of relatives. Results: The results indicate that children must be considered as a target group in future prevention plans. Moreover, utilizing screening tests to identify depression in children will help the health authorities to take secondary preventive measures more effectively.

Keywords: depression, children, Children Depression Inventory, Mashhad, prevalence

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