Predictors of psychopathology in children of patients with major affective disorders.

The present study reports on variables associated with psychopathology in children of patients hospitalized with major affective disorders. The primary instrument used in this investigation was a structured diagnostic interview that was completed by a child psychiatrist. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses of these data suggest that severity of parental psychopathology (as measured by a higher score on the SCL-90 and a longer stay in the hospital) and the report of child abuse were associated with general childhood psychopathology. The significance of these and other findings are discussed.