The Identification of Early Risk Factors for Severe Emotional Disturbances and Emotional Handicaps: An Epidemiological Approach

Epidemiological methodology is used to examine the relationship between early childhood risk factors and future identification as having a Severe Emotional Disturbance or as having an Emotional Handicap (SED/EH) at age 13. Data were obtained from 1979/1980 Florida birth records that were electronically linked with 1992/1993 Florida school records. An epidemiological perspective was chosen due to its ability to model both individual and community-level risk. In regards to increasing an individual's risk of SED/EH, two factors, gender (being male) and low maternal education (mother not completing high school at the time of the child's birth), were found to have particularly strong effects. When examining effects of these risk factors upon overall rates of SED/EH in the community, maternal education and marital status (being unmarried at the time of the child's birth) were associated with a large proportion of the cases. Health/biological markers were moderately associated with SED/EH on the individual level, but were related to a relatively small percentage of cases in the population. In addition, effects varied based upon ethnic/cultural heritage. Researchers are encouraged to consider using an epidemiological perspective and its potential utility in the field of community psychology and public policy is discussed.