Criterion Validity and Utility of the General Factor of Psychopathology in Childhood: Predictive Associations With Independently Measured Severe Adverse Mental Health Outcomes in Adolescence

Mental health problems in childhood are associated with a host of adverse outcomes in adolescence, and, to a considerable extent, these associations are driven by a general factor of psychopathology. The general factor may therefore be important to clinical prognosis, which informs clinical decision making for children.