ADOLESCENT GIRLS .2. BACKGROUND FACTORS IN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSIVE STATES

Background. This study investigated the prevalence and background vari ables associated with anxiety and depressive disorders occurring in a community population of older teenage girls. Method. Girls aged 15-20 years (n=529) whose names were drawn from general practitioner age/sex registers completed self-report Great Ormond Street Mood Questionnair es. From this sample, 143 girls (69 with high self-report scores and 7 4 controls) were intensively interviewed. Information was obtained on confiding/supportive relationships, family arguments and rows, quality of marital relationship, and degree of parental control. Psychiatric state was assessed by use of the Clinical Interview Schedule to provid e a Total Weighted Score. A modified form of the Bedford Life Events a nd Difficulties Schedule was applied. Results. The estimated one-year prevalence rate for psychiatric disorder was 18.9%, and 16.9% for depr ession and anxiety disorders. Using a legit analysis, it was shown tha t maternal distress (P<0.02) and the quality of the mother's marriage (P<0.02) were independently associated with the presence of depression and anxiety disorders. Conclusions. About 17% of girls in a community sample living at home showed a depression or anxiety disorder. Even i n late adolescence, the presence of a mood disorder is closely linked to the quality of family relationships within the home.