Open AccessAssessment of Distress Associated to Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents
Author(s) -
Lourdes Ezpeleta,
Wendy Reich,
Roser Granero
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
escritos de psicología
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1989-3809
pISSN - 1138-2635
DOI - 10.24310/espsiescpsi.v2i2.13372
Subject(s) - psychopathology , distress , anxiety , clinical psychology , psychology , psychiatry , depression (economics) , mental health , functional impairment , economics , macroeconomics
The aim of this paper was to study the distress associated to psychopathology in children and adolescents. The sample included 330 children aged 8 to 17 years attending outpatient mental health services of the public network in Barcelona (Spain) assessed using a structured diagnostic interview. A substantial part of children brought to treatment suffered distress associated to internalizing and externalizing psychological symptoms. Psychological distress was most frequent among girls and among adolescents, and was more frequently reported by children and adolescents than by their parents. It was also a marker of perception of need of psychological help, and it was significantly related to diagnosis, subthreshold conditions and functional impairment. Individual symptoms of depression, dysthymia, generalized anxiety disorder and oppositional defiant disorder were most associated with psychological distress. Given the potential importance of subjective distress as well as impairment for the identification and definition of psychopathology and planning of treatment, diagnostic assessment should include questions related to distress.