PARENTAL REPORTS OF SYMPTOMS OF CHILDHOOD DISORDERS IN DUTCH CHILDREN

The number of children displaying childhood disorders in the Netherlands is estimated through a questionnaire referencing DSM-IV symptoms filled out by the parents of 2,563 4- 18-year-old Dutch children randomly taken from the general Dutch Youth population in 2004. The number of impaired children was estimated by applying the DSM-IV criteria for impairment by symptoms. It was found that 14% of all Dutch children display developmental difficulties, with 8% at risk of moderate behavioral and emotional difficulties and 6% at risk of a childhood psychiatric disorder. These prevalence figures based upon parental observations of DSM-IV symptoms in children are in agreement with the findings of other studies estimating psychiatric disorders in childhood in Western countries.