MODELS OF ADOLESCENT PSYCHOPATHOLOGY - CHILDHOOD RISK AND THE TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD

Objective: To examine the relationship between DSM-III disorder in ado lescence (age 15 years) and DSM-III disorder in early adulthood (age 1 8 years), in relation to a history of behavior problems or disorder, o ther family and individual characteristics, and events commonly associ ated with the transition to adulthood. Method: The sample came from a New Zealand birth cohort selected from the general population. Data we re obtained from ages 3 to 18 years for 890 of those enrolled. Results : For both males and females, disorder at age 15 was strongly predicte d by histories of early mental health problems. However, neither those histories, background characteristics, nor the experience of adolesce nt transition events modified the strength of association between diso rder at ages 15 and 18 years. In childhood, after adjusting for histor ies of behavior problems, parental separations and (for boys) poor soc ial competence remained independent predictors of disorder at age 15. Overall, boys appeared more vulnerable and those from socially disadva ntaged backgrounds in early childhood had an elevated risk of disorder at age 18. After adjusting for disorder at age 15, adolescent unemplo yment remained an independent predictor of disorder at age 18 for both males and females. Conclusions: This study modeled the continuity of disorder across the adolescent transition period and, after taking ear lier disorder into account, identified clear predictors of later disor der. This is the first step in the process of developing more effectiv e interventions to reduce the risk of mental health disorders.