Child psychiatry: the perception of medical students

Objective: To identify and characterize the knowledge and preparation of medical students on child psychiatry. Methods: Methodology with a cross-sectional, descriptive and qualitative bias, which had its data collected through virtual means, through a questionnaire on the Google Forms platform, which consisted of two parts, the first for general identification of the participant and the second with specific questions on child psychiatry and, subsequently, these data were analyzed based on the Content Analysis methodology developed by Bardin. Results: 118 medical students participated in the study, all of whom agreed on the relevance of child psychiatry in the medical curriculum. Regarding the most common mental disorders in childhood, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, eating disorders and separation anxiety disorder were highlighted. Students who had not yet had prior contact with the psychiatry course had more limited answers about child psychiatry, with less elaborate and more simplistic responses, when compared to those who had already taken the course. However, the vast majority of participants, regardless of the course year, responded with stigmas and limitations on approaching this medical area. Conclusion: Medical students still have limited knowledge about child psychiatry, despite showing an interest in learning more about the area and its importance for their medical training, requiring more encouragement from teaching institutions and the implementation of this area in the course curriculum.