Social experiences in childhood and adult psychiatric morbidity: a multiple regression analysis.

The effect of childhood experiences on adult psychiatric morbidity was examined in a community psychiatric survey. The Present State Examination was used to assess psychiatric morbidity. Childhood experiences assessed included childhood demographic factors and 'loss and deprivation' variables. The latter group comprised maternal and paternal deaths and separations and other disruptions in parental care 'Loss and deprivation' in combination accounted for between 4.5 and 5.5% of the variance in adult psychiatric morbidity.