Criterion Validity and Utility of the General Factor of Psychopathology in Childhood: Predictive Associations With Independently Measured Severe Adverse Mental Health Outcomes in Adolescence

Objective

We examined whether a parent-rated general factor of psychopathology in childhood would predict independently measured, severe adverse mental health outcomes in adolescence.

Method

We used the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden, which targets all twin children in Sweden. Parents rated their children (N = 16,806) on 43 symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, conduct problems, and anxiety/emotionality when the twins turned 9 or 12 years of age. Adverse mental health outcomes in adolescence were retrieved from national registers, and included psychiatric diagnoses, prescription of anxiolytic or antidepressant medication, court convictions of crimes, and failure to achieve eligibility for high school.

Results

Parent-rated inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, conduct problems, and anxiety/emotionality in childhood predicted all adverse mental health outcomes in adolescence (mean odds ratio = 1.76; range = 1.41−2.18; all p < .05). However, several of these associations were nonsignificant in a multiple regression framework, suggesting the influence of common variance. A general factor of psychopathology uniquely predicted all outcomes (mean odds ratio = 1.58; range = 1.34−1.84; all p < .05), whereas the specific factors predicted only a subset of the outcomes.

Conclusion

Mental health problems in childhood are associated with a host of adverse outcomes in adolescence, and, to a considerable extent, these associations are driven by a general factor of psychopathology. The general factor may therefore be important to clinical prognosis, which informs clinical decision making for children.