ABSTRACT

Objectives

This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of cases followed under health precaution decisions in a university hospital child and adolescent mental health clinic.

Materials and Methods

Files of 48 cases followed under health precaution decisions at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal Training and Research Hospital Child and Adolescent Mental Health Department between June 2020 and June 2025 were reviewed. The study was approved by the Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University (decision no: 2025/329, date: 12.08.2025). Data were processed anonymously, and statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0.

Results

The mean age of the cases was 158.3±41.0 months (approximately 13.2 years), with 62.5% adolescents and 58.3% males. 56.3% of the sample lived in broken families, and 33.3% required special education support. The most common reason for health precaution decisions was caregiver inadequacy (54.3%). Psychiatric diagnosis rate was 77.1%, with post-traumatic stress disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder being the most frequent diagnoses. Psychiatric diagnosis rate was significantly higher in adolescents compared to children (p=0.011).

Conclusion

The findings highlight low socioeconomic status, disrupted family structure, and high psychiatric comorbidity in cases under health precaution. Early intervention, family support programs, and multidisciplinary approaches may be important in these cases. The study contributes to the literature in Türkiye and multicenter prospective studies are recommended.