Psychiatric disorders in pediatric primary care. Prevalence and risk factors.

Children aged 7 to 11 years visiting their primary care pediatrician for a wide range of reasons were studied to determine the one-year prevalence of DSM-III disorders and the risk factors associated with them. Parents completing the Child Behavior Checklist about their children identified problems that placed 24.7% of 789 children in the clinical range. Detailed psychiatric interviews with 300 parents and children, using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, yielded a one-year weighted prevalence of one or more DSM-III disorders of 22.0% +/- 3.4%, combining diagnoses based on either the child or the parent interview.