Child and Family Factors Associated with Referral to Child Psychiatrists

Abstract

We compared children aged 7–12 years referred to child psychiatrists by general practitioners (GPs) with community control children matched for the presence of psychiatric disorder. Referral status in psychiatrically disturbed children was linked to male sex, severity of the disorder, mental problems in the mothers, high levels of psychosocial stress in the family, and less support from extended families. For the whole group of referred children, the referral was associated with high antisocial scores on parental questionnaires, with parental reports of problems in controlling the children, and of high levels of stress felt in relation to them. In addition, parents of referred children were in disadvantaged socioeconomic groups.