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The British Journal of Psychiatry (2000) 177: 59-65
© 2000 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Predictors of psychopathology in young adults referred to mental health services in childhood or adolescence

JEROEN HEIMENS VISSER, MD, JAN VAN DER ENDE, MS, HANS M. KOOT, PhD and FRANK C. VERHULST, MD

Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Sophia Children's Hospital/Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Correspondence: Frank C. Verhulst, MD, Sophia Children's Hospital/Erasmus University Rotterdam, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dr Molewaterplein 60, 3015 GH Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Tel : +31-10-463-6213/6191 ; fax : +31-10-463-6803 ; e-mail : verhulst{at}psys.azr.nl

Declaration of interest Financial support (grant 4344) from the Dutch National Foundation for Mental Health.

Background For children referred to mental helath services future functioning may be hampered.

Aims To examine stability and prediction of behavioural and emotional problems from childhood into adulthood.

Method A referred sample (n=789) aged 4-18 years was followed up after a mean of 10.5 years. Scores derived from the Child Behavior Checklist, Youth Self-Report and Teacher Report Form were related to equivalent scores for young adults from the Young Adult Self-Report and Young Adult Behavior Checklist.

Results Correlations between first contact (T1) and follow-up (T2) scores were 0.12-0.53. Young adult psychopathology was predicted by corresponding T1 problem scores. Social problems and anxious/depressed scores were predictors of general problem behaviour.

Conclusions Problem behaviour of children and adolescents referred to outpatient mental health services is highly predictive of similar problem behaviour at young adulthood. Stability is higher for externalising than for internalising behaviour and for intra-informant than for inter-informant information. Stabilities are similar across gender. To obtain a comprehensive picture of the young adult's functioning, information from related adults may prove valuable.




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