ABSTRACT
A two-stage epidemiologic survey was carried out on a probability sample of the population aged 4 through 16 years in Puerto Rico. The survey used the Child Behavior Checklist as a screening instrument, and prevalence rates were estimated on the basis of clinical diagnoses and other measures provided by child psychiatrists during the second stage. Maladjustment was operationally defined through the use of combined measures, including DSM-III diagnosis and a scale of functional impairment. Data were provided on the demographic correlates of maladjustment and on the comorbidity of DSM-III diagnostic domains. The prevalence rates obtained vis-à-vis the availability of mental health services on the island reflected a major public health problem.
Subject(s)
Adjustment Disorders/epidemiology , Child Behavior Disorders/epidemiology , Hispanic or Latino , Adjustment Disorders/diagnosis , Adolescent , Age Factors , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Child, Preschool , Community Mental Health Services/supply & distribution , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Health Services Accessibility , Humans , Interview, Psychological , Male , Personality Inventory , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Psychometrics , Puerto Rico/ethnology , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
A Spanish translation of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) was assessed using samples of Puerto Rican patients and community subjects from the San Juan area. Concordance between DIS results from psychiatrists' interviews and from laypersons' interviews was similar to results with the DIS in mainland samples. Comparisons of laypersons' DIS results with psychiatrists' clinical diagnoses yielded generally poorer agreement. Levels of agreement improved when diagnoses were clustered into higher-rank categories. These results raise cultural issues related to the use of the DIS in Puerto Rico.
Subject(s)
Mental Disorders/diagnosis , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Cross-Cultural Comparison , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Language , Male , Manuals as Topic , Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , Psychometrics , Puerto Rico , Sex Factors , Social ClassABSTRACT
An epidemiologic survey of the lifetime and six-month prevalence rates of several psychiatric disorders was conducted in Puerto Rico. This study, carried out in 1984, applied selected schedules of a Spanish translation of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule to a stratified, island-wide probability sample of the population. With few exceptions, prevalence rates in this study were similar to those obtained in the US communities studied in the Epidemiologic Catchment Area program. The demographic correlates of the disorders are reviewed, and differences between the results of this study and those of previous studies suggesting a higher rate of mental disorder among Puerto Rican populations are discussed.
