Replication of empirically derived syndromes as a basis for taxonomy of child/adolescent psychopathology.
To advance the empirical identification of child/adolescent syndromes, principal components analyses were performed on four sets of parents' ratings of 8,194 6- to 16-year-olds referred to American and Dutch mental health services. The following syndromes replicated well for both sexes at ages 6-16: Aggressive, Anxious/Depressed, Attention Problems, Delinquent, Somatic Complaints, and Withdrawn. For both age ranges, a syndrome designated as Socially Inept replicated well among boys, and one designated as Mean replicated well among girls. Evidence was also found for a Schizoid syndrome in all sex/age groups and a Sex Problems syndrome among girls at ages 6-11. Syndrome scores discriminated well between nationwide normative and clinical samples. The replicated syndromes contribute to the empirical basis for a taxonomy of the kinds of disorders commonly seen between the ages of 6 and 16.
Achenbach
T M
TM
Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington 05401.
Conners
C K
CK
Quay
H C
HC
Verhulst
F C
FC
Howell
C T
CT
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011599:Psychopathology; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013577:Syndrome