TY - JOUR

T1 - The relationship between life events and psychopathology amongst children with intellectual disabilities

AU - Hatton, C

AU - Emerson, E

PY - 2004/6

Y1 - 2004/6

N2 - Background Research has established a clear relationship between life events and psychopathology amongst children generally, but this relationship has not been investigated in children with intellectual disabilities.Methods A secondary analysis of data collected by the 1999 ONS survey of the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in Great Britain, investigating associations between adverse life events and psychopathology amongst 264 children with intellectual disabilities and 10 040 children without intellectual disabilities.Results Children with intellectual disabilities were more likely to experience a greater number and range of adverse life events than children without intellectual disabilities, a difference partly accounted for by family poverty. For children with and without intellectual disabilities, there were robust associations between several life events and child psychiatric disorders, most strongly emotional disorder. There also appeared to be a cumulative effect of life events on the psychopathology of children with intellectual disabilities.Conclusions Adverse life events play an important role in the psychopathology of children with intellectual disabilities and require further research attention. Policy interventions to reduce family poverty may have an indirect effect upon child psychopathology.

AB - Background Research has established a clear relationship between life events and psychopathology amongst children generally, but this relationship has not been investigated in children with intellectual disabilities.Methods A secondary analysis of data collected by the 1999 ONS survey of the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in Great Britain, investigating associations between adverse life events and psychopathology amongst 264 children with intellectual disabilities and 10 040 children without intellectual disabilities.Results Children with intellectual disabilities were more likely to experience a greater number and range of adverse life events than children without intellectual disabilities, a difference partly accounted for by family poverty. For children with and without intellectual disabilities, there were robust associations between several life events and child psychiatric disorders, most strongly emotional disorder. There also appeared to be a cumulative effect of life events on the psychopathology of children with intellectual disabilities.Conclusions Adverse life events play an important role in the psychopathology of children with intellectual disabilities and require further research attention. Policy interventions to reduce family poverty may have an indirect effect upon child psychopathology.

KW - children

KW - families

KW - intellectual disabilities

KW - life events

KW - psychopathology

KW - MENTAL-RETARDATION

KW - SEXUAL ABUSE

KW - PEOPLE

KW - PREVALENCE

KW - HEALTH

KW - DIFFICULTIES

KW - DISORDERS

M3 - Journal article

VL - 17

SP - 109

EP - 117

JO - Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities

JF - Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities

SN - 1360-2322

IS - 2

ER -