Assessing Psychopathology in Children of Psychiatrically Disturbed Parents: A Pilot Study

The diagnostic status of 28 children of psychiatrically disturbed parents was evaluated using structured diagnostic interviewing procedures. We examined the relationship between children's interviews and mothers' interviews about their children, in order to determine the level of diagnostic agreement. The results of this comparison indicated a moderate level of diagnostic agreement between mothers and children on children's psychiatric disorders. A 43% prevalence of psychiatric disorders in this high-risk sample was also found. The need for obtaining and combining information from mother and child informants for optimal diagnostic assessment is stressed. The implications of these findings are discussed.