Risk Factor Identification
Risk factors are characteristics whose presence
increases the chances for development of a disease. A true risk factor must
exist before a disease develops. For example, being male and having a family
history of alcoholism are risk factors for the development of alcoholism
(Merikangas, 1990). When a variable cannot be defini-tively proved to predate the
onset of a disorder, it is best concep-tualized as a correlate. For example,
socioenvironmental factors, such as adverse life events and chronic strain,
that are statistically associated with the development of depressive disorders
should usually be regarded as correlates because it is usually not possible to
disentangle the causal sequence of these relationships.
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