Prevalence and co-occurrence of psychiatric symptom clusters in the U.S. adolescent population using DISC predictive scales

doi:10.1186/1745-0179-1-22

Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health

Volume 1

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Research

Prevalence and co-occurrence of psychiatric symptom clusters in the U.S. adolescent population using DISC predictive scales

Kevin W Chen¹, Ley A Killeya-Jones¹^,2 and William A Vega¹

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 671 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA

²Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University, Box 90545, Durham, NC 27708, USA

Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health 2005, 1:22doi:10.1186/1745-0179-1-22


Published:	28 October 2005

Abstract

Objective

To estimate 12-month prevalence and co-occurrence of symptoms of specific mental problems among US adolescents (12–17 years) by age, sex and racial/ethnic subgroups.

Method

Data from the 2000 National Household Survey of Drug Abuse (NHSDA) adolescent sample are used to estimate prevalence and co-occurrence rates using the DISC predictive scales. Multiple logistic regressions were used to derive significant correlates of each domain of DPS-derived symptom cluster indicators of psychiatric problems and of severe comorbidity, with control of demographics and environmental factors.

Setting

The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), a national household probability sample, includes a nationally representative sample of 12–17 year-old adolescents (N = 19,430), through in-home surveys.

Results

Three out of five adolescents screened positive for at least one DPS symptom cluster with estimates for specific symptom cluster ranging over 9.7% (substance use disorder), 13.4% (affective), 36.3% (disruptive-behavior), and 40.1% (anxiety). Co-occurrence was high with almost one-third of any DPS symptom cluster reporting multiple positive screens of four or more clusters. Blacks and younger females were most likely to report mental health problems and co-occurrence.

Conclusion

Mental health problems among U.S. youth may be far more common than previously believed, although these symptoms have not yet reached the point of clinical impairment. The data speak to important patterns of age, gender and racial/ethnic differences in mental health problems deserving of further study.