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The Impact of Recent Undesirable Life Events on Psychiatric Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

I. M. Goodyer ,
I. Kolvin  and
Sonia Gatzanis
I. M. Goodyer*
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
I. Kolvin
Affiliation:
Nuffield Psychology and Psychiatry Unit, Fleming Memorial Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne
Sonia Gatzanis
Affiliation:
Nuffield Psychology and Psychiatry Unit, Fleming Memorial Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne
*
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester Road, Swinton, Manchester M27 IFG
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Extract

The timing and number of recent stressful life events occurring in the year before onset of emotional or behavioural disorder was examined in a consecutive sample of children. Overall, events increase the relative risk of psychiatric disorder by 3–6 times. Events occur throughout the 12 months, but tend to cluster in the 16 weeks nearest onset of symptoms. The number of events influences the onset of disorder: cases with multiple events are more likely to have an event within 16 weeks of onset; cases with single events are more likely to have the event 36–52 weeks before onset. Cases whose onset occurs within 4 weeks of an event may have experienced single or multiple events. The results support the concept of additivity of recent stressful events in some cases of emotional and behavioural disorders in childhood.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 151 , Issue 2 , August 1987 , pp. 179 - 184
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1987 

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