ADOLESCENT GIRLS .1. SELF-REPORTED MOOD DISTURBANCE IN A COMMUNITY POPULATION

Background. This study was undertaken to fill gaps in our knowledge of the rate of mood disorder in teenage girls in transition from school to further education, employment or unemployment. Method. Girls aged 1 5-20 years (n=529) whose names were drawn from general practitioner ag e/sex registers were interviewed at home and completed the Great Ormon d Street Mood Questionnaire. Their mothers completed the 28-item Gener al Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Social background variables were obtain ed. Results. Of the girls, 20.8% scored over the cut-off point previou sly established to indicate risk of psychiatric disorder. Scoring over the cut-off point was not associated with age or parental social clas s. It was associated with parental separation/divorce (P<0.004), with maternal self-report on the GHQ (P<0.001), and with parental unemploym ent (P<0.04). Lowest self-report scores were obtained by girls who had left school and were in employment (P<0.01). Conclusions. About one i n five of girls aged 15-20 are at risk of affective disorder. Self-rep orted mood disturbance is associated with a wide range of social and f amilial background variables, but not with age or parental socioeconom ic status.