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Prevalence of psychiatric disorder: with and without psychosocial impairment.

McArdle P, Prosser J, Kolvin I

Fleming Nuffield Unit, Tyne House, Northern Counties School for the Deaf, Tankerville Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 3BB, UK.

OBJECTIVE : To identify rates of psychiatric disorder in a representative sample of primary school children in a North of England city. METHOD : The study obtained multi-criterion screen data on a representative one-in-three sample of 7- and 8-year-old children in Newcastle upon Tyne. It also obtained psychiatric interview data for screen-positive and a proportion of screen negative children. In addition the clinically trained interviewers rated psychiatric impairment. RESULTS : Estimated rates of disorder with impairment, calibrated to be equivalent to that of children attending local child psychiatric clinics, were 1.2% for emotional disorder, 5.6% for disruptive behaviour disorder and 6.7% for any disorder. CONCLUSION : These findings are consistent with other contemporary studies using similar impairment criteria.

Published 24 December 2004 in Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 13(6): 347-53.
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