British parents' beliefs about the causes of three forms of childhood psychological disturbance.

Parents were asked to rate which of 40 items were likely causes of one of three types of psychological disturbance common among 9-year-old children, the symptoms of which were outlined in vignettes. Parents' accounts were consistent and coherent. Symptoms of hyperactivity were linked to poor diet, antisocial conduct to a lack of discipline and unhappiness at school, and emotional problems to breakdowns in interpersonal relations and unhappiness at school. However, a number of factors (socioeconomic difficulties, attachment risks, and organic dysfunction) that research suggests are risks to development were rated by parents as unlikely causes of problems. The implications of this mismatch between "lay" and "expert" views is examined.