Family Factors Related to the Persistence of Psychopathology in Childhood and Adolescence

DATA collected in a large prospective longitudinal study of an epidemiological sample of children were employed to identify family risk factors for future psychopathology. Three data analytic models were used to distinguish between variables with effects on the subsequent onset of disorders, those in which increase in risk factor was accompanied by increase in disorder, and those specifically related to the duration of disorders present in the earlier assessment. Power assertive punishment techniques were most consistently related to future problems of the child, and children in unstable families who exhibited behavior or affective disorders in early childhood were more likely to have continuing problems 8 years later than were children in stable families. The relevance of these findings for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention efforts is discussed.