Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T17:20:56.175Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Attainment and Adjustment in Two Geographical Areas

I—The Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Michael Rutter
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology
Antony Cox
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology
Celia Tupling
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology
Michael Berger
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology
William Yule
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF

Extract

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the observation that rates of psychiatric disorder and of educational problems in children may vary considerably according to area and to types of living conditions. However, very little is known concerning the extent to which rates actually differ, and even less about how particular area characteristics co-vary with the rates of different types of child disorder. Gath et al. (1972) found that child psychiatric referral rates were higher in areas of low social status, but data were not available to determine whether the difference lay in the preyalence of disorder or in the likelihood of detection or referral. Reading backwardness has also been associated with low social class areas (Miller et al., 1957; Eisenberg, 1966). In addition, it has been found that reading standards are lower in England than in Scotland (Davie et al., 1972). None of the studies of reading have taken IQ, into account, and it is not known whether the correlates are mainly with IQ or with a specific disability in reading. The present investigation was designed to examine these issues by determining if there were differences in the rates of child psychiatric disorder and of specific reading retardation between an inner London borough and the Isle of Wight. If differences were found, it also sought to examine the reasons for them, in order to elucidate possible causal or precipitating factors.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1975 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bagley, C., Jacobson, S. & Palmer, C. (1973) Social structure and the ecological distribution of mental illness, suicide and delinquency. Psychol. Med., 3, 177–87.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berger, M., Yule, W. & Rutter, M. (1975) Attainment and adjustment in two geographical areas: II. The prevalence of specific reading retardation. Brit. J. Psychiat., 126, 510–19.Google Scholar
Brown, G. W. & Rutter, M. (1966) The measurement of family activities and relationships: a methodological study. Human Relations, 19, 241–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burt, C. (1925) The Young Delinquent. London: Univ. of London Press.Google Scholar
Castle, I. M. & Gittus, E. (1957) The distribution of social defects in Liverpool. Sociol. Rev., 5, 4364.Google Scholar
Cicourel, A. V. (1968) The Social Organization of Juvenile Justice. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Clark, J. P. & Wenninger, E. P. (1962) Socio-economic class and area as correlates of illegal behavior among juveniles. Amer, sociol. Rev., 27, 826–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, A. K. (1956) Delinquent Boys: The Culture of the Gang. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.Google Scholar
Conger, J. J. & Miller, W. C. (1966) Personality, Social Class and Delinquency. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Davie, R., Butler, N. & Goldstein, H. (1972) From Birth to Seven. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Durkheim, E. (1951) Suicide: A Study in Sociology. Glencoe, Illinois: Free Press.Google Scholar
Edwards, G., Williamson, V., Hawker, A., Hensman, C. & Postoyan, S. (1968) Census of a Reception Centre. Brit. J. Psychiat., 114, 1031–9.Google Scholar
Eisenberg, L. (1966) Reading retardation: I. Psychiatric and sociologic aspects. Pediatrics. 37, 352–65.Google Scholar
Faris, R. E. L. & Dunham, H. W. (1939) Mental Disorders in Urban Areas. Chicago: Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Gath, D., Cooper, B. & Gattoni, F. E. G. (1972) Preliminary communication: Child guidance and delinquency in a London Borough. Psychol. Med., 2,185–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glueck, S. & Glueck, E. T. (1950) Unraveling Juvenile Delinquency. New York: Commonwealth Fund.Google Scholar
Graham, P. & Rutter, M. (1968) The reliability and validity of the psychiatric assessment of the child: II. Interview with the parent. Brit. J. Psychiat., 114, 581–92.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Graham, P. & Rutter, M. (1973) Psychiatric disorder in the young adolescent: a follow-up study. Proc. Roy. Soc. Med., 66, 1226–9.Google Scholar
Grunhut, M. (1956) Juvenile Offenders Before the Courts. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Häfner, H. & Reimann, H. (1970) Spatial distribution of mental disorders in Mannheim, 1965. In Psychiatric Epidemiology (eds. Hare, E. and Wing, J.). London: Oxford Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Hare, E. H. & Shaw, G. K. (1965) Mental Health on a New Housing Estate. Maudsley Monograph No. 12. London: Oxford Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Illsley, L., Finlayson, A. & Thompson, B. (1963) The motivation and characteristics of internal migrants: a socio-medical study of young migrants in Scotland. Milbank Mem. Fund. Quart., 41, 115–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Inner London Education Authority (1973) Literacy Survey: Children's Behaviour at School.Google Scholar
Jephcott, A. P. & Carter, M. P. (1954) The Social Background of Delinquency. Nottingham: University Press.Google Scholar
Jones, H. (1958) Approaches to an ecological study. Brit. J. Delinq., 8, 277–93.Google Scholar
Levy, L. & Rowitz, L. (1970) The spatial distribution of treated mental disorders in Chicago. Social Psychiat. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levy, L. & Rowitz, L. (1971) Ecological attributes of high and low rate mental hospital utilization areas in Chicago. Social Psychiat., 6, 2028.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mays, J. B. (1963) Crime and the Social Structure. London: Faber & Faber.Google Scholar
McDonald, L. (1969) Social Class and Delinquency. London: Faber & Faber.Google Scholar
Miller, A. D., Margolin, J. B. & Yolles, S. F. (1957) Epidemiology of reading disabilities: some methodologic considerations and early findings. Amer. J. publ. Health, 47, 1250–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morris, T. (1957) The Criminal Area: a Study in Social Ecology. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.Google Scholar
Power, M. J., Benn, R. T. & Morris, J. N. (1972) Neighbourhood, school and juveniles before the courts. Brit. J. Criminol., 12, 111–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reiss, A. J. & Rhodes, A. L. (1961) The distribution of juvenile delinquency in the social class structure. Amer. Sociol. Rev., 26, 720–32.Google Scholar
Robins, L. N. (1966) Deviant Children Grown Up. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.Google Scholar
Robins, L. N. & Hill, S. Y. (1966) Assessing the contributions of family structure, class and peer groups to juvenile delinquency. J. of Criminal Law, Criminol. & Police Science, 57, 325–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rutter, M. (1965) Classification and categorization in child psychiatry. J. Child Psychol. Psychiat., 6, 7183.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rutter, M. (1967) A Children's Behaviour Questionnaire for completion by teachers: preliminary findings. J. Child Psychol. Psychiat., 8, 111.Google Scholar
Rutter, M. (1970) Sex differences in children's responses to family stress. In The Child and His Family (eds. Anthony, E.J. & Koupernik, C.). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Rutter, M. (1971) Parent-child separation: psychological effects on the children. J. Child Psychol. Psychiat., 12, 233–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rutter, M. (1974) Adolescent turmoil—fact or fiction? Chairman's Address, Assoc. Child Psychol. Psychiat.Google Scholar
Rutter, M. & Brown, G. W. (1966) The reliability and validity of measures of family life and relationships in families containing a psychiatric patient. Social Psychiat., 1, 3853.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rutter, M., Tizard, J. & Whitmore, K., (eds.) (1970) Education, Health and Behaviour. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Rutter, M., Yule, B., Quinton, D., Rowlands, O., Yule, W. & Berger, M. (1975) Attainment and adjustment in two geographical areas: III. Some factors accounting for area differences. Brit. J. Psychiat., 126, 520–33.Google Scholar
Berger, M. & Yule, W. (1973) Specific reading retardation. In The First Review of Special Education (eds. Mann, L. and Sabatino, D.). Philadelphia: Buttonwood Farms, Inc.Google Scholar
Berger, M. Yule, W., Berger, M., Yule, B., Morton, J. & Bagley, C. (1974) Children of West Indian immigrants: I. Rates of behavioural deviance and of psychiatric disorder. J. Child Psychol. Psychiat., 15, 241–62.Google Scholar
Sainsbury, P. (1955) Suicide in London. Maudsley Monograph (No. 1). London: Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
Shaw, C. R. & McKay, H. D. (1942) Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas. Chicago: Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Shepherd, M., Oppenheim, B. & Mitchell, S., (eds.) (1971) Childhood Behaviour and Mental Health. London: Univ. of London Press.Google Scholar
Stott, D. H. (1960) Delinquency, maladjustment and unfavourable ecology. Brit. J. Psychol., 51, 157–70.Google Scholar
Sundby, P. & Nyhus, P. (1963) Major and minor psychiatric disorders in males in Oslo: an epidemiological study. Acta psychiat. Scand., 39, 519–47.Google Scholar
Tarjan, G., Tizard, J., Rutter, M., Begab, M., Brooke, E. De La Cruz, F., Lin, T.-Y., Montenegro, H., Strotzka, H. & Sartorius, N. (1972) Classification and mental retardation: Issues arising in the fifth WHO seminar on psychiatric diagnosis, classification and statistics. Amer. J. Psychiat., 128 (11), 3445 (suppl.).Google Scholar
Thompson, J., Rutter, M., Yule, W. & Berger, M. (Paper in preparation.) Google Scholar
Wallis, C. P. & Maliphant, R. (1967) Delinquent areas in the County of London: ecological factors. Brit. J. Criminol., 7, 250–84.Google Scholar
West, D. J. & Farrington, D. P. (1973) Who Becomes Delinquent? London: Heinemann.Google Scholar
Wilson, H. C. (1962) Delinquency and Child Neglect. London: Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Wing, J. K. & Hailey, A. M., (eds.) (1972) Evaluating a Community Psychiatric Service: The Camberwell Register 1964–71. London: Oxford Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Wootton, B. (1959) Social Science and Social Pathology, London: Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.