Differential contextual factors of comorbid conduct and depressive disorders in Spanish children.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to clarify the validity of the mixed conduct/depressive disorder in young people to justify its place in ICD-10 by examining a wide range of risk factors, school performance and other contextual variables.


METHODS
Data on risk factors and other school and family variables were compared between 66 referred children with depressive disorders without conduct disorder, 135 with conduct or oppositional defiant disorder without depressive disorders, and 90 with both. Data were obtained through structured diagnostic interviews with parents and children and questionnaires.


RESULTS
Marked differences emerged between depressive and comorbid groups in rearing style, school and friends. Comorbid conduct-depression and pure conduct disorders share similar contextual factors; the differences are larger in school, where the pure conduct group has more difficulties.


CONCLUSIONS
Based on contextual factors, pure depression is different from conduct-depressive disorder, but pure conduct disorder is similar to the comorbid condition. The results have implications for nosology and treatment of these disorders.
Unit of Epidemiology and Diagnosis in Developmental Psychopathology, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Edifici B. Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Spain. lourdes.ezpeleta@uab.es
Lourdes
L
Ezpeleta
Roser
R
Granero
Josep M
JM
Doménech
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000208:ethnology