A profile of the child psychiatric population of Newfoundland.

At all referrals during the year 1977 to the only child psychiatric facility in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador were investigated on a number of variables. Two hundred and two children were referred. This was considered a very low rate of referrals. Distance of the child's residence beyond the range of 50 kilometres from the unit was negatively associated to referrals. Lack of parental employment was not associated with increased rate of referrals. Children from the outlying regions of the Province were unlikely to come from broken families. Academic failure was common among those referred. Few differences were observed in the clinical diagnoses between those referred from the Avalon Peninsula and the regions lying further away. As compared to another Canadian province, Ontario, (Ottawa-Carleton region) (2), fewer aggressive children were referred in Newfoundland. Some implications of these findings for the practice of child psychiatry in the Province were discussed.