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Journal of Pediatric Psychology Advance Access originally published online on May 23, 2007
Journal of Pediatric Psychology 2007 32(8):950-959; doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsm034
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

A Measure of Functional Impairment in Youth with Tourette's Syndrome

Eric A. Storch, PhD1,2, Caleb W. Lack, PhD3, Laura E. Simons, PhD4, Wayne K. Goodman, MD1, Tanya K. Murphy, MD1 and Gary R. Geffken, PhD1

1Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, 2Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, 3Department of Behavioral Sciences, Arkansas Tech University, and 4Department of Psychology, Boston University

All correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Eric Storch, Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Box 100234, Gainesville, FL 32610. E-mail: estorch{at}psychiatry.ufl.edu.


  Abstract

Objective Tourette's Syndrome (TS) during childhood is linked to varied behavioral and psychological difficulties and functional impairment. The current study was undertaken to examine both tic-related impairment and impairment from other psychological problems in 59 youth (mean age 11.4 years, 69% male) with TS. Methods Caretakers completed a checklist about the impact of tics and other psychological difficulties on family, school, and social functioning. In addition, a clinician administered a measure of tic severity to families. Results Over half of the sample reported one significant problem area due to the presence of tics, with over a third reporting two or more problem areas. Problems were heterogeneous in nature, with no report of a particular problem area in more than 25% of the children. The rate of nontic-related impairment was very high, with 70% of parents reporting at least one problem area. Conclusions Treating both tic and nontic-related impairments concurrently may improve functioning more so than treating the symptoms separately.

Key words: assessment; children; impairment; Tourette's syndrome; validity.

Received October 23, 2006; revision received March 28, 2007; accepted April 11, 2007


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