Continuity, Persistence and Progression Across the Life-Cycle

Continuity, Persistence and Progression Across the Life-Cycle

Epidemiological research suggests that considerable stability or continuity of mental disorders can be observed from child-hood into adolescence, at least for broad diagnostic groupings. In particular, behavior disorders in childhood are associated with increased risk of behavior disorders in adolescence, especially for boys, and childhood emotional disorders are associated with increased risk of adolescent emotional disorders, especially for girls (Costello and Angold, 1995). The more severe the disorder, the more likely it is to persist (Cohen et al., 1993a). In addition, epidemiological surveys of adults indicate that the age at onset of disorders for many patients was during adolescence, further reinforcing the notion of persistence or progression of disorders from childhood across the life-cycle (Burke et al., 1990).