This study aimed to identify the prevalence and associations of childhood psychiatric
disorder in Calicut District, South India. Among 1403 children aged 8 to 12 years selected by
random cluster sampling, a projected prevalence of 9.4% (95% CI 7.9–10.8%) was found.
Associations of disorder with male sex, the Muslim religion, lower social class, less parental
education, school failure, and impaired reading and vocabulary were found, but not with
malnutrition or perinatal problems. The similarity to associations of disorder in Western
studies was noted. The discussion focuses on the validity of comparisons of prevalence across
cultures.