A longitudinal study of psychopathology in people with intellectual disability

这个项目将进一步发展一项国际上独一无二的15年跟踪研究的机会，该研究对患有ID的澳大利亚年轻人的心理健康进行跟踪研究。我们已经表明，这一群体遭受严重情感和行为问题的风险是个人、他们的家庭和照顾者以及社区的额外沉重负担的2-3倍。这些问题往往没有被认识到，但在社区中就像精神分裂症一样常见。本研究将继续采用问卷调查和深入访谈相结合的方式，对青壮年及其家人或照顾者的心理健康状况进行追踪。这项研究始于1990年，对近1000名4-18岁的智障青年进行了研究，并在75%以上的原始群体中每2-3年对他们的进展进行一次审查。在接下来的5年里，我们计划在青少年生活的关键阶段跟踪他们的心理健康状况。在这段时间里，精神疾病的风险最大，如抑郁症和精神分裂症，以及适应新的日常职业、独立生活或住宿照顾以及远离家人的社交活动的压力。我们将能够研究患有唐氏症、脆性X、普雷德·威利和威廉综合征等主要已知原因的年轻人以及患有自闭症的人所面临的具体情绪和行为问题。长期跟踪研究的最大好处是，它使我们能够研究早期家庭环境、心理和生物因素与随后的精神健康问题之间的联系。我们还可以展示患有精神障碍的年轻人的精神疾病对家庭和父母心理健康的影响。这一发现对于更好地诊断、改善护理和管理、早期干预和预防这一澳大利亚青年及其家人和照顾者这一弱势群体中这些常见的严重和未被认识到的心理健康问题具有重要意义。

This project will further develop the research opportunities of an internationally unique 15 year follow up study of the mental health of young Australians with ID. We have shown that this group has 2-3 times the risk of suffering serious emotional and behavioural problems that are an added heavy burden on the individual, their family and carers and the community. These problems often are not recognised but are as common as schizophrenia in the community. The study will continue to use a combination of questionnaire survey and in depth interviews of the young adults and their families or carers to track the course of their mental health. The study commenced in 1990 with nearly 1000 young people with ID aged 4-18 years and their progress has been reviewed every 2-3 years in over 75% of the original group. During the next 5 years we plan to follow their mental health during the critical stage of young adult life. During this time there is the greatest risk of mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia and the stresses of adjusting to new daily occupations, independent living or residential care and social contact away from the family. We will be able to study the specific emotional and behavioural problems faced by young adults with the main known causes of ID such as Down, Fragile X, Prader Willi and William Syndromes, as well as those who have autism. The great benefit of a long term follow up study is that it allows us to study the links between earlier family environmental, psychological and biological factors and subsequent mental health problems. We can also demonstrate the impact that mental illness in a young person with ID has on the family and parental mental health. The findings have implications for better diagnosis, improved care and management, early intervention and prevention of these common severe and under recognized mental health problems in this disadvantaged group of young Australians and their families and carers.