Assessment of distress caused by psychopathology in children and adolescents

• Autores: Lourdes Ezpeleta, Wendy Reic, Roser Granero
• Localización: Escritos de psicología, ISSN-e 1989-3809, ISSN 1138-2635, Vol. 2, Nº 2, 2009, págs. 19-27
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.24310/espsiescpsi.v2i2.13372
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Evaluación del malestar asociado a la psicopatología en niños y adolescentes
• Enlaces
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• Dialnet Métricas: 1 Cita
• Resumen
  • español

    El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar el malestar asociado a la psicopatología en niños y adolescentes. La muestra incluyó 330 sujetos entre 8 y 17 años que atendían a consulta externa en servicios de salud mental de la red pública de Barcelona (España), que fueron valorados a través de entrevista diagnóstica estructurada. Una parte significativa de los niños que solicitaron tratamiento sufrían malestar asociado a los síntomas psicológicos interiorizados y exteriorizados. El malestar psicológico fue más frecuente en las chicas y entre los adolescentes y también fue más informado por los propios niños y adolescentes que por sus padres. El malestar fue un predictor de la percepción de necesidad de ayuda psicológica y se relacionó significativamente con los diagnósticos, condiciones subumbral y deterioro funcional. Los síntomas individuales de depresión, distimia, ansiedad generalizada y trastorno negativista desafiante fueron los que más estrechamente se asociaron con el malestar psicológico. Dada la importancia del estrés subjetivo y del deterioro funcional para la identificación y definición de la psicopatología y para la planificación de las intervenciones, la evaluación diagnóstica debería incluir cuestiones referidas al malestar.

  • English

    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.

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