Direct and indirect links between childhood maltreatment, posttraumatic stress disorder, and women's health.

The authors evaluated the relationships among childhood maltreatment, sexual trauma in adulthood, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and health functioning in women. Female Veterans' Affairs (VA) primary care patients (N = 200) completed self-report measures of childhood maltreatment, adult sexual trauma, PTSD symptoms, and current health functioning. The authors used structural equation modeling to test models of the relationship among these variables.

Comparing DISC-IV and clinician diagnoses among youths receiving public mental health services.

Objectives: To compare the prevalence and agreement of diagnoses based on Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV (DISC-IV) and clinician assignment for youths receiving public mental health services between 1996 and 1997 and to examine potential predictors of diagnostic agreement.

Method: Participants included 240 youths aged 6-18 years. Past-year prevalence rates and kappa statistics were calculated for four diagnostic categories: anxiety, mood, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and disruptive behavior disorders (DBD).