Urban ecological structure and perceived child and adolescent psychological disorder

This research examined the distribution and ecological correlates of referrals of children and adolescents to the Regional Childrenʹs Centre, a psychological assessment and treatment centre located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Referral data were collected by the Regional Childrenʹs Centre for the study period April 1992 through March 1994. The ecological structure of the study area was derived using principal components analysis of a set of socio-economic indicator variables from the 1991 Census of Canada and a cluster analysis of component scores. Referral rates were calculated for each ecological area for two referral subgroups: mood/conduct/stress-related concerns and neurophysiologically based concerns. The distribution of referrals was tested using the Poisson probability test. This test revealed that, for both subgroups analysed, the distribution of referrals in the study area was non-random. Stepwise multiple regression revealed a significant ecological relationship between the mood/conduct/stress-related concerns referral rate and the ecological structure of the study area. No such relationship was found, however, when examining referrals for neurophysiologically based concerns.