Child psychiatric symptoms and psychosocial impairment: relationship and prognostic significance.
BACKGROUND
Relatively little is known about the relationships between psychiatric symptoms, diagnosis and psychosocial impairment.


OBJECTIVE
To examine these contemporaneous relationships and prognostic significance in a large general population sample.


METHODS
Symptoms of major depression, conduct and oppositional defiant disorders were assessed by interview in two waves of the Virginia Twin Study of Adolescent behavioural Development (2800 children aged 8-16 years).


RESULTS
Many children below the DSM-III-R diagnostic threshold, especially for depression, had symptom-related impairment, whereas many children reaching the symptom threshold for conduct and oppositional defiant disorders were little impaired. Impairment score was linearly related to symptom count, with no evidence of any additional impairment at the diagnostic threshold. For depression, only symptoms predicted later symptoms and diagnosis. For conduct and oppositional defiant disorders, impairment was additionally predictive of later symptoms and diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Impairment, in addition to symptoms, is important for both nosology and prognosis.
Pickles
A
A
School of Epidemiology and Health Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. andrew.pickles@man.ac.uk
Rowe
R
R
Simonoff
E
E
Foley
D
D
Rutter
M
M
Silberg
J
J
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D004200:Diseases in Twins; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011379:Prognosis