BRITISH PARENTS BELIEFS ABOUT THE CAUSES OF 3 FORMS OF CHILDHOOD PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTURBANCE

Parents were asked to rate which of 40 items were likely causes,of one of three types of psychological disturbance common among 9-year-old c hildren, the symptoms of which were outlined in vignettes. Parents' ac counts were consistent and coherent. Symptoms of hyperactivity were li nked to poor diet, antisocial conduct to a lack of discipline and unha ppiness at school, and emotional problems to breakdowns in interperson al relations and unhappiness at school. However, a number of factors ( socioeconomic difficulties, attachment risks, and organic dysfunction) that research suggests are risks to development were rated by parents as unlikely causes of problems. The implications of this mismatch bet ween ''lay'' and ''expert'' views is examined.