To specifically examine the pattern of change from childhood to adolescence in relation to risk group status, the offspring were divided into four groups: those with no diagnosis in either period, those with a diagnosis only in childhood, those with a diagnosis in adolescence only, and those with a diagnosis in both periods. Of the 55 low-risk children who were without a diagnosis during childhood only 13 cases or (23.6%) developed a disorder during adolescence. In contrast, of the 72 high-risk children who were free of all diagnoses during the multiple times they were evaluated in childhood, 35 cases or (48.6 %) had a diagnosis during the adolescent follow up. The odds of developing a diagnosis during adolescence in offspring who had previously been free of diagnosable illness in childhood was significantly higher for high-risk children than that for low-risk children (odds ratio = 3.06, P = 0.005). Also, for those children who had a diagnosis in childhood, a greater proportion of high-risk (78.1%) compared to low-risk (55.6%) children reported persistence of that disorder into adolescence, though the proportion was not statistically significant.
