Risk factors for behavioral, anxiety, depressive and elimination disordersin children and adolescents.

This study seeks to identify the risk factors differentially related to beh avioral, anxiety, depression and elimination disorders, in a clinical sampl e of 362 children and adolescents, aged from 6 to 17 years. The following f actors were studied: socio-demographic variables, psychosocial stressors in family context, academic failure, intelligence, early factors, medical his tory and parental psychopathology. Results showed distinct risk profiles fo r each diagnostic category: having a young father, being extremely concerne d about a beloved person's death, family quarreling and fighting, having be en physically abused, repeating a grade at school and early behavioral prob lems were specifically associated with behavioral disorders; mother's age, delivery problems and fear of physical abuse were related to those of anxie ty; increasing age, being upset about family, family drinking problems, hav ing frequent illnesses and mother's psychopathological status were the best predictors for depressive disorders; and younger age, being male and delay ed developmental milestones predicted those of elimination.