AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC-STUDY OF DISORDERS IN LATE CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE.2. PERSISTENCE OF DISORDERS

The persistence and new onset of psychiatric disorder were studied in a sample of 734 children from the general population. Diagnoses for si x of the more prevalent disorders were generated from maternal and chi ld interviews when the children were ages 9-18 and again 2 1/2 years l ater. Analyses demonstrated substantial levels of diagnostic persisten ce over the 2 1/2 year period for all diagnoses except major depressio n. With few exceptions persistence was roughly equivalent for age and gender subgroups. It is concluded that disorders assessed by structure d interview of non-clinical samples of children cannot be dismissed as transitory.