ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To identify rates of psychiatric disorder in a representative sample of primary school children in a North of England city. METHOD: The study obtained multi-criterion screen data on a representative one-in-three sample of 7- and 8-year-old children in Newcastle upon Tyne. It also obtained psychiatric interview data for screen-positive and a proportion of screen negative children. In addition the clinically trained interviewers rated psychiatric impairment. RESULTS: Estimated rates of disorder with impairment, calibrated to be equivalent to that of children attending local child psychiatric clinics, were 1.2% for emotional disorder, 5.6% for disruptive behaviour disorder and 6.7% for any disorder. CONCLUSION: These findings are consistent with other contemporary studies using similar impairment criteria.
