Neighborhood sociodemographic predictors of Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) in schools: demonstrating a small area estimation method in the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS-A) Adolescent Supplement

Adm Policy Ment Health. 2015 Jan;42(1):111-20. doi: 10.1007/s10488-014-0550-8.

Abstract

We evaluate the precision of a model estimating school prevalence of SED using a small area estimation method based on readily-available predictors from area-level census block data and school principal questionnaires. Adolescents at 314 schools participated in the National Comorbidity Supplement, a national survey of DSM-IV disorders among adolescents. A multilevel model indicated that predictors accounted for under half of the variance in school-level SED and even less when considering block-group predictors or principal report alone. While Census measures and principal questionnaires are significant predictors of individual-level SED, associations are too weak to generate precise school-level predictions of SED prevalence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Affective Symptoms / epidemiology*
  • Comorbidity
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Prevalence
  • Residence Characteristics / statistics & numerical data*
  • Schools / statistics & numerical data*
  • Small-Area Analysis
  • Socioeconomic Factors