title: Predictors of psychiatric symptoms in children with an autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: This study examined mental health risk/protective factors for DSM-IV psychiatric symptoms in children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their contribution to functioning separate from ASD symptom severity. Mothers/teachers completed measures of risk/protection and social, adaptive, and school functioning in 6- to 12-year-olds with a diagnosed ASD (N = 238). Bivariate correlations and simultaneous regression analyses indicated a unique pattern of predictors for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, aggression, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Moreover, psychiatric symptoms differentially predicted social and school performance. Findings indicate that co-occurring psychiatric symptoms and their associated mental health risk/protective factors may have important clinical implications and generally support a biopsychosocial model of psychopathology in children with an ASD that appears to share many similarities with models for non ASD children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Putnam Hall-South Campus, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8790, USA. kenneth.gadow@stonybrook.edu
authors.forename: Kenneth D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Gadow
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Devincent
authors.forename: Jayne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schneider
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index