OBJECTIVE: In order to establish a diagnosis to identify family risk situations for children in school, the proposed objective was to identify risk factors associated with family situations that relate to mental health in primary schoolchildren from an urban area, adjacent to the city of Cordoba, in Argentina. METHODOLOGY: The test 'Cómo es tú-su familia' (What is your family like, in English) was used to interview 146 children attending fifth and sixth grades of primary school. Bivariate exploratory and factorial analyses were performed. RESULTS: The most frequent family structure was the biparental type, with 45% of interviewees reporting family structures in which women are in charge. More than 50% reported that their parents have never or seldom have dedicated time to talk to them, that family members do not find opportunities to express themselves, and that the possibilities of settling problems in family are scarce. In addition, 30% of children reported having gone through some type of stressful situation. Risk relations with mother and/or father were associated with smoking, drinking, battering, and quarreling. CONCLUSIONS: The adverse conditions detected for this group of children should be taken into account in order to lessen family vulnerability and foster healthy environments for children.
family relations; mental health; children