The relative importance of history and symptoms in child psychiatric diagnosis

This study analyzed the relationship between case history and reported symptoms and child psychiatric diagnosis in a sample of 928 cases. In addition sex, age, socioeconomic status and intelligence were considered. In general, symptoms were more important than case history data and background factors. Antisocial symptoms contained by far the most information for diagnosis. However, the highest information gained by a combination of different variables was only 20%. Overall, case history data represent an nonspecific factor of vulnerability in child psychiatric disorders which are primarily determined by symptoms.