Retrospective Analysis of Patients Applied to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic and Subject to Psychometric Tests: One-Centered Experience

Aim: Intelligence tests are applied for various reasons, including identifying mental improvement, learning disabilities, other cognitive disorders, and giftedness, as well as for the clinical evaluation of cognition. Our study examines the relationships between intelligence level, parenting style, and sociodemographic factors. Materials and Methods: Among 595 patients who underwent psychometric tests, 135 patients whose parents were contacted and who could complete the Parenting Attitude Research Instrument (PARI) scale were included in the study. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Revised (WISC-R) test was conducted in 26 (19.3%) patients, The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) test in 15 (11.1%), the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) test in 35 (25.9%), The Goodenough Drawing Test (GDT) and The Porteus Maze Test (PMT) in 42 (31.1%), and The Ankara Development and Screening Inventory (ADSI) in 64 (47.4%) patients. Of the total, 83 (61.5%) cases were male, 52 (38.5%) were female, with a female-to-male ratio of 0.62. The average age was 81.74 ± 3.92 months. Results: As the number of siblings increased, the scores of the 'pressure and discipline' dimension (Factor 5) of the PARI also increased significantly (p = 0.049, r = 0.574). As the duration of preschool education increased, the scores for the PARI dimensions of 'Excessive Motherhood' (Factor 1), 'Housewife Rejection' (Factor 3), and 'Wife-Husband Conflict' (Factor 4) decreased significantly (p = 0.032, p = 0.022, p = 0.038 and r = 0.185, r = 0.197, r = 0.179, respectively). A mild developmental delay was more common in children who did not receive foreign language education, as indicated by ADSI scores (p = 0.010). When evaluating the PARI and WISC-R results together, it was found that WISC-R test scores improved as scores in the 'Excessive Motherhood' dimension (Factor 1) decreased. Conclusion: Parenthood can be viewed as a set of behaviors aimed at supporting the child and enabling them to reach their developmental potential. Positive parenting can give the child high functionality in necessary interpersonal relationships and other areas of their life. Effective parenting, even in high-risk families, is crucial in reducing the impact of risk factors, preserving the child's functionality, and fostering the development of resilient children.