Parent Reports of Disability among 13‐Year Olds with DSM‐III Disorders

Abstract

Abstract This study examined “physical” and “psychological” dimensions of disability associated with different DSM‐III disorders in a large sample of 13‐year old adolescents. The measure of disability was based upon the World Health Organization (1980) classification. We found that adolescents with multiple DSM‐III disorders and those with attention deficit and anxiety disorders showed the highest levels of parent perceived disablement; depression and conduct disorder showed the least. In addition, adolescents with any kind of DSM‐III disorder showed a rate of parent‐reported hospitalization twice that of the remainder of the sample. They also had poorer perceived health, as suggested by lower parent and self health ratings than those without disorder Copyright © 1990, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved