Children with mental disorders in primary care: functional status and risk factors

Using data derived from a large epidemiological survey of children attending a pediatric primary care clinic, this article reports the relationship between the presence of mental disorders and functional status and the risk factors for depressive, anxiety-related and conduct disorders in these children. The results suggest that children with mental disorders in primary care are more functionally impaired than those without such disorders, with depressive and conduct disorders more often associated with such impairment. Analysis using logistic regression analysis to determine risk factors showed that broadly different familial and antecedent features predicted the presence of these groups of disorders. The findings confirmed the salience of factors relating to family and socioeconomic status and of maternal psychological health in a culture characterized by the extended family structure and widespread economic deprivation.