Expressed emotion in families of clinically referred and nonreferred children: Toward a further understanding of the expressed emotion index.

As assessed from a 5-min speech sample, level of expressed emotion (EE) in parents significantly discriminated between families of 7- to 16-year-old children who were referred for mental health treatment and a nonclinical comparison group; however, both groups contained a relatively high proportion of high-EE families. Furthermore, EE independently predicted clinical-nonclincal group status when considered in conjunction with overall family functioning and level of psychological distress in mothers. Findings support the relevance of EE, although the measure showed poor specificity and an analysis of the components that comprise the EE index indicated that only certain components were pertinent. The need to reassess the meaning of the EE construct and strengthen its applicability for the general clinical population of children and families is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)