National comorbidity survey replication adolescent supplement (NCS-A): II. Overview and design.
OBJECTIVE
To present an overview of the design and field procedures of the National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A).


METHODS
The NCS-A is a nationally representative face-to-face household survey of the prevalence and correlates of DSM-IV mental disorders among U.S. adolescents (aged 13-17 years) that was performed between February 2001 and January 2004 by the Survey Research Center of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. The sample was based on a dual-frame design that included 904 adolescent residents of the households that participated in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (response rate 85.9%) and 9,244 adolescent students selected from a representative sample of 320 schools in the same nationally representative sample of counties as the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (response rate 74.7%).


RESULTS
Comparisons of sample and population distributions on census sociodemographic variables and, in the school sample, school characteristics documented onlyminor differences that were corrected with poststratification weighting. Comparisons of DSM-IV disorder prevalence estimates among household versus school sample respondents in counties that differed in the use of replacement schools for originally selected schools that refused to participate showed that the use of replacement schools did not introduce bias into prevalence estimates.


CONCLUSIONS
The NCS-A is a rich nationally representative dataset that will substantially increase understanding of the mental health and well-being of adolescents in the United States.
Kessler
Ronald C
RC
Drs. Kessler, Green, and Zaslavsky and Mr. Gruber and Mrs. Sampson are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Dr. Avenevoli is with the Division of Developmental Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health; Dr. Costello is with the Center for Developmental Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical School; Dr. Heeringa and Ms. Pennell are with the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; and Dr. Merikangas is with the Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health. Electronic address: Kessler@hcp.med.harvard.edu.
Avenevoli
Shelli
S
Drs. Kessler, Green, and Zaslavsky and Mr. Gruber and Mrs. Sampson are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Dr. Avenevoli is with the Division of Developmental Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health; Dr. Costello is with the Center for Developmental Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical School; Dr. Heeringa and Ms. Pennell are with the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; and Dr. Merikangas is with the Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health.
Costello
E Jane
EJ
Drs. Kessler, Green, and Zaslavsky and Mr. Gruber and Mrs. Sampson are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Dr. Avenevoli is with the Division of Developmental Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health; Dr. Costello is with the Center for Developmental Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical School; Dr. Heeringa and Ms. Pennell are with the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; and Dr. Merikangas is with the Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health.
Green
Jennifer Greif
JG
Drs. Kessler, Green, and Zaslavsky and Mr. Gruber and Mrs. Sampson are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Dr. Avenevoli is with the Division of Developmental Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health; Dr. Costello is with the Center for Developmental Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical School; Dr. Heeringa and Ms. Pennell are with the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; and Dr. Merikangas is with the Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health.
Gruber
Michael J
MJ
Drs. Kessler, Green, and Zaslavsky and Mr. Gruber and Mrs. Sampson are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Dr. Avenevoli is with the Division of Developmental Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health; Dr. Costello is with the Center for Developmental Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical School; Dr. Heeringa and Ms. Pennell are with the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; and Dr. Merikangas is with the Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health.
Heeringa
Steven
S
Drs. Kessler, Green, and Zaslavsky and Mr. Gruber and Mrs. Sampson are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Dr. Avenevoli is with the Division of Developmental Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health; Dr. Costello is with the Center for Developmental Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical School; Dr. Heeringa and Ms. Pennell are with the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; and Dr. Merikangas is with the Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health.
Merikangas
Kathleen R
KR
Drs. Kessler, Green, and Zaslavsky and Mr. Gruber and Mrs. Sampson are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Dr. Avenevoli is with the Division of Developmental Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health; Dr. Costello is with the Center for Developmental Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical School; Dr. Heeringa and Ms. Pennell are with the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; and Dr. Merikangas is with the Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health.
Pennell
Beth-Ellen
BE
Drs. Kessler, Green, and Zaslavsky and Mr. Gruber and Mrs. Sampson are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Dr. Avenevoli is with the Division of Developmental Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health; Dr. Costello is with the Center for Developmental Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical School; Dr. Heeringa and Ms. Pennell are with the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; and Dr. Merikangas is with the Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health.
Sampson
Nancy A
NA
Drs. Kessler, Green, and Zaslavsky and Mr. Gruber and Mrs. Sampson are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Dr. Avenevoli is with the Division of Developmental Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health; Dr. Costello is with the Center for Developmental Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical School; Dr. Heeringa and Ms. Pennell are with the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; and Dr. Merikangas is with the Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health.
Zaslavsky
Alan M
AM
Drs. Kessler, Green, and Zaslavsky and Mr. Gruber and Mrs. Sampson are with the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School; Dr. Avenevoli is with the Division of Developmental Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health; Dr. Costello is with the Center for Developmental Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical School; Dr. Heeringa and Ms. Pennell are with the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; and Dr. Merikangas is with the Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health.
D000293:Adolescent; D015897:Comorbidity; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology