Psychopathology and behavioural trends of children with accidental poisoning.

Objective: To study the psychopathology of both young children with accidental poisoning and their mothers, measure the poisoned children's trends of behaviour and explore whether there is an association between parental smoking and poisoning in children.

Methods: The psychopathology of 150 poisoned and 150 matched control young children, and their mothers was studied according to DSM-IV criteria. Children's perceptions of behaviour were examined by a measure assessing internalizing and externalizing behaviour.

Results: Psychiatric disorders were by 4.3-fold more frequent in the poisoned than in the control children. Also, the study children exhibited higher levels in all aspects of behaviour. In the poisoned children's mothers the frequency of psychiatric disorders was threefold greater than in the control. Also, "parent-child relational problem" and "psychosocial and environmental problems" were more frequent in the study than the control groups. Smoking was more frequent in both parents of the poisoned than of the control children.

Conclusions: Findings show that risk factors for accidental poisoning are localized on the children, their parents or may have a psychosocial-environmental origin. The presence of certain psychiatric disorders in young children (attention-deficit and disruptive behaviour disorders) or their mothers (anxiety, personality and mood disorders) requires the implementation of early measures for reducing the risk of poisoning.