Growing up in Uppsala. The role of public services in identification and treatment of health and adjustment problems. Part I. Definition and classification of dependent variables

A comprehensive prospective longitudinal study of health, development and social adjustment from the age of four to 18 years has been carried out in Uppsala, Sweden. This report presents the accumulated psychosocial burden up to 18 years of age for all 1715 children born in 1965 and resident in Uppsala from age 10 to 18 years. The psychosocial burden up to 18 years of age was assessed through analysis of records and register information from school health services, authorities for care of the handicapped, the Department of Child Psychiatry, social agencies and legal authorities. The analysis showed that 11.8% of the adolescents had a severe psychosocial burden up to the age of 18 years which could hamper their future life as adults. It was possible to categorize the whole birth cohort into one subgroup without manifest psychosocial problems and five different subgroups with serious problems: the six groups (severe mental or physical handicap, antisocial behaviour, psychiatric problems, social support, multiple problems, "normal") had specific profiles concerning sex distribution, symptoms, social background, utilization of care services and delinquency.