Editorial: Isolating the essential difference – The importance of choosing the right type and sufficient numbers of controls in research on neurodevelopmental disorders and mental health conditions

Abstract

The question of what constitutes the most appropriate control group in child psychopathology research remains a vexed question as well as one of the most common issues raised in the referees’ reports I read as an editor of JCPP. Yet its importance is often overlooked by authors as they reflect on potential sources of bias in their studies. There is an abundant literature on this question (Rothman, Greenland, & Lash, 2008) that highlights the key issues and pitfalls for research in our field.