Independence of childhood life events and chronic adversities: a comparison of two patient groups and controls.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the differences between independent and behavior-dependent stressful life events and chronic adversities in child psychiatric patients, community controls, and children with asthma.


METHODS
The Psychosocial Assessment of Childhood Experiences was used to assess recent severe events (life events with high long-term threat) and major adversities (long-term experiences with high negative impact on child) in children attending a psychiatric clinic (n = 99), community controls (n = 26), and children with chronic asthma (n = 94).


RESULTS
In the previous year, the psychiatric patients had, on average, experienced significantly more independent and behavior-dependent severe events and major adversities than either the controls or the asthmatic patients. The differences were most pronounced in relation to behavior-dependent high-threat life events and long-term-experiences. Among the psychiatric patients, one third of all severe events and one quarter of all major adversities were dependent on the child's behavior. The corresponding proportions in the controls and children with asthma were between one fifth and one twelfth.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychiatrically disturbed children have an increased risk of experiencing behavior-dependent life events and long-term adversities compared with their peers in the community at large and compared with children suffering from a chronic physical illness such as asthma. Future studies need to examine the possible contributions of such experiences to the development and maintenance of psychiatric and physical illness in children.
Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. sandberg@psyka.jyu.fi
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S
Sandberg
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McGuinness
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C
Hillary
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Rutter
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological