Families, family roles, and psychological diagnoses in primary care

This study examined the effect of belonging to a specific family on rates and occurrence of psychological diagnoses among the family members. Data were obtained from 693 families totaling 2907 parents and children during ambulatory care visits to a prepaid health care center. Families tended to have the majority of their members either with or conversely without a psychological diagnosis. The likelihood of having a psychological diagnosis was increased by 35% if another family member had been so diagnosed. Consequently, a small (3%) proportion of families accounted for a large (25%) proportion of these diagnoses. Children whose fathers were high utilizers of general health care services, or whose parents, particularly mothers, had a psychological diagnosis, were significantly more likely to have a diagnosis in this category as well. Families in which both parents had such a diagnosis were twice as likely to have an affected child. Siblings appeared not to exert any effect on one another in this regard. Family size and birth order had no effect on the incidence of psychological diagnoses.