Patterns of psychopathology among urban poor children: comorbidity and aggression effects

A sample of 3,647 children from Grades 1-6 of inner-city and other urban poor communities and diverse ethnic groups were evaluated for co-occurrence of clinical-level scores on syndrome scales of the Teacher Report Form of the Child Behavior Checklist. Besides examining the relative rate of co-occurring syndromes, the contribution of residence location, ethnicity, age, and gender to such patterns were examined. Latent class analyses were applied to determine the makeup of basic patterns of co-occurring syndromes. Results suggest that comorbidity and the type of comorbidity pattern are related to residence. Gender and ethnicity are also related to pattern. Aggression seems to be a central aspect of the type of co-occurring patterns found among urban poor children. Its presence relates to poorer functioning, particularly in conjunction with internalizing syndromes.