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Introduction to Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
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Introduction to Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
Integrating Science and Practice

Fifth Edition
September 2025 | 920 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
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Introduction to Child and Adolescent Psychopathology provides a comprehensive and practical guide to understanding mental disorders and their evidence-based treatments. Using a developmental psychopathology approach, author Robert Weis opens each chapter with a description of the disorder, including the complete DSM-5-TR criteria, prevalence, and associated features. The causes of each disorder are then analyzed through biological, psychological, and social–cultural lenses, followed by a discussion of evidence-based treatments, using criteria established by the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The Fifth Edition includes updated research throughout, with special attention to developments since the COVID-19 pandemic, including an increase in digital media use, and it features case studies and pedagogy designed to help students understand and retain the material.
 
An Invitation
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Part 1: Evidence-Based Research and Practice
 
Chapter 1: Supporting Children’s Mental Health
Identifying Mental Health Problems in Children

 
The Prevalence of Children’s Mental Health Problems

 
Integrating Science and Practice

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend Your Learning

 
 
Chapter 2: Theories of Development
Developmental Psychopathology

 
Biological Influences on Development

 
Psychological Influences on Development

 
Social–Cultural Influences on Development

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend Your Learning

 
 
Chapter 3: Research Methods with Children and Families
Science vs. Pseudoscience

 
Research Goals and Methods

 
Ethical Research with Children and Families

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend Your Learning

 
 
Chapter 4: Assessing and Treating Children’s Mental Health Problems
Psychological Assessment

 
Systems of Psychotherapy

 
The Efficacy and Effectiveness of Child Psychotherapy

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend your Learning

 
 
Part II: Developmental Disorders and Disabilities
 
Chapter 5: Intellectual Developmental Disorder
Description and Epidemiology

 
Causes

 
Identification, Prevention, and Treatment

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend your Learning

 
 
Chapter 6: Autism Spectrum Disorder
Description and Epidemiology

 
Causes

 
Identification, Prevention, and Treatment

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend Your Learning

 
 
Chapter 7: Communication and Learning Disorders
Communication Disorders

 
Learning Disabilities and Specific Learning Disorder

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend your Learning

 
 
Part III: Disruptive Disorders and Substance Use Problems
 
Chapter 8: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Description and Epidemiology

 
Causes

 
Evidence-Based Assessment and Treatment

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend Your Learning

 
 
Chapter 9: Conduct Problems in Children and Adolescents
Description and Epidemiology

 
Causes

 
Evidence-Based Treatment

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend Your Learning

 
 
Chapter 10: Substance Use Problems in Adolescents
Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders

 
Causes of Substance Use Problems

 
Evidence-Based Treatment

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend Your Learning

 
 
Part IV: Emotion and Thought Disorders
 
Chapter 11: Anxiety and Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder
Anxiety Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence

 
Obsessive–Compulsive and Related Disorders

 
Evidence-Based Treatment

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend Your Learning

 
 
Chapter 12: Trauma and Child Maltreatment
Social–Emotional Deprivation in Infancy

 
Child Maltreatment

 
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend Your Learning

 
 
Chapter 13: Depression, Suicide, and Self-Injury
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder

 
Major Depressive Disorder and Persistent Depressive Disorder

 
Suicide and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend Your Learning

 
 
Chapter 14: Pediatric Bipolar Disorders and Schizophrenia
Bipolar Disorders in Children and Adolescents

 
Pediatric Schizophrenia

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend Your Learning

 
 
Part V: Health-Related Disorders
 
Chapter 15: Feeding and Eating Disorders
Feeding Disorders in Young Children

 
Eating Disorders in Older Children and Adolescents

 
Evidence-Based Treatment for Eating Disorders

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend Your Learning

 
 
Chapter 16: Elimination, Sleep, and Health Problems
Elimination Disorders

 
Sleep–Wake Disorders in Children

 
Pediatric Psychology

 
Key Terms

 
Critical Thinking Exercises

 
Test Yourself and Extend Your Learning

 
 
References
 
Index
Key features
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
  • New title reflects the change from Introduction to Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology to Introduction to Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, mirroring similar adjustments in the titles of professional journals and college courses.
  • Includes the complete DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for each disorder and reflects changes to the description, conceptualization, epidemiology, risk factors, and differential diagnoses for each condition.
  • A new emphasis on social–cultural factors informs the presentation, prevalence, course, and treatment of each disorder. Introductory chapters also include topics like culturally informed assessment practices and social–ecological models of development.
  • Coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic considers the social and economic stress on children and families resulting in a dramatic uptick in anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and self-injury, especially among girls and socioeconomically disadvantaged youths.
  • Examines the prevalence of digital media use by children and adolescents and the way maladaptive social media use and videogaming might affect youths’ mental health. It also examines the differential effects of digital media on youths who are especially vulnerable to cyberbullying, internet gaming disorder, or body image problems.
  • Updated and new research throughout, including 300+ research citations published since 2020.
  • In addition to case studies in the text, the Sage student website provides a free collection of case studies designed to illustrate a concept, theory, or mental health problem presented in the text.
  • Chapter 1 has been reorganized to include new information about the prevalence of children’s mental health problems over the past 20 years, especially during and immediately following the pandemic.
  • Chapter 3 has been revised to reflect new child assessment measures that have been published since the last edition of this book.
  • Chapter 6 has also been completely revised to reflect the most recent information about the prevalence, causes, and treatment of autism.
  • Chapter 8 has also been revised and updated based on contemporary models of ADHD and recent advances in the pharmacological and behavioral treatment of ADHD across home and school settings.
KEY FEATURES:
  • A developmental psychopathology approach to understanding child psychopathology allows readers to study each disorder from multiple levels of analysis (e.g., biological, psychological, social-cultural) with an emphasis on risk and protective factors that shape children’s developmental pathways over time.
  • Chapters are split into smaller modules to make material more accessible to students and to allow instructors to easily tailor reading assignments to their courses.
  • Modules are organized by research questions such as “How common is autism spectrum disorder?” and “What treatments are effective for toddlers with autism spectrum disorder?” to spark students’ interest and to guide their reading.
  • Each chapter provides descriptions of evidence-based treatments identified by professional organizations such as the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
  • Science to Practice sections show how clinicians apply evidence-based treatment in clinics, hospitals, and schools to help children and families in need.
  • In-text learning aids include learning objectives, section summaries, key terms with definitions, and critical thinking exercises to help students master the material.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 1 & 2

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