title: The prevalence of emotional and behaviour disorders and patterns of service utilisation in children and adolescents.
abstract: This study compared the prevalence of emotional and behavioural disorders in children attending schools of different socio-economic class. In addition, the study compared the rate of service utilization by children with and without disorders. Using cutoff scores recommended for use with Australian children, the prevalence of disorders in schools of different socio-economic class ranged from 2.3 +/- 2.2 to 13.9 +/- 5.3 per 100 children, with the highest prevalence being found in the lower socio-economic class schools. Although few children with disorders had been seen in a mental health clinic, advice had been sought from other services with regard to 66% of these children. This high rate of service utilization by children with disorders highlights the key role that general practitioners, school guidance officers and hospital services could play in facilitating the early identification and management of children with emotional and behavioural disorders.
authors.affiliation: Evaluation Unit, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, Adelaide Children's Hospital, South Australia.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Sawyer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sarris
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Baghurst
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Cornish
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Kalucy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013021:South Australia / Q000453:epidemiology