thesis
Adult Consequences of Child Psychopathology
- Publication date
- 21 May 2010
- Publisher
- Child and adolescent psychopathology is a great burden to individuals, their
families, and to society at large. Children and adolescents with behavioral and
emotional problems suffer from impairments in several domains of functioning,
including difficulties with friendship, self-esteem and school functioning. Parents
often suffer from a lack of knowledge about their child’s problems, which keeps
them from seeking professional help and which causes persistence of problems,
difficulties in school, poor family relations, and concurrent psychopathology.
Society is faced with the consequences of school dropout and higher workload, but
also with costs associated with mental health care, police and the judicial apparatus.
Psychopathology in children not also disturbs children’s functioning, it may also
have long lasting consequences into adulthood. For example, difficulties in
sustaining intimate relationships, in educational success and in building up a
professional career.
Longitudinal studies of the developmental course of psychopathology from
childhood into adulthood are needed to determine which children are at increased
risk of lifetime psychopathology. These children should be given special attention
in prevention and interventional programs by mental health care professionals
working with children and adolescents. This may reduce long-term continuity of
psychopathology.