Mental Health: A Report by the Surgeon General

There is now good evidence that both biological factors and adverse psychosocial experiences during childhood influence—but not necessarily“cause”—the mental disorders of childhood. Adverse experiences may occur at home, at school, or in the community. A stressor or risk factor may have no, little, or a profound impact, depending on individual differences among children and the age at which the child is exposed to it, as well as whether it occurs alone or in association with other risk factors. Although children are influenced by their psychosocial environment, most are inherently resilient and can deal with some degree of adversity. However, some children, possibly those with an inherent biological vulnerability (e.g., genes that convey susceptibility to an illness), are more likely to be harmed by an adverse environment, and there are some environmental adversities, especially those that are long-standing or repeated, that seem likely to induce a mental disorder in all but the hardiest of children. A recent analysis of risk factors by Kraemer and colleagues (1997) has provided a useful framework for differentiating among categories of risk and may help point this work in a more productive direction.

Risk factors for developing a mental disorder or experiencing problems in social-emotional development include prenatal damage from exposure to alcohol, illegal drugs, and tobacco; low birth weight; difficult temperament or an inherited predisposition to a mental disorder; external risk factors such as poverty, deprivation, abuse and neglect; unsatisfactory relationships; parental mental health disorder; or exposure to traumatic events.

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