Journal of Child and Family Studies, Vol. 10, No. 4, December 2001 (© 2002) pp. 477-483 Family Impact of Tourette's Syndrome Berney J. Wilkinson, M.A.,''^ Mary B. Newman, M.A.,^ R. Douglas Shytle, Ph.D.,^ Archie A. Silver, M.D.,'' Paul R. Sanberg, Ph.D., D.Sc.,^ and David Sheehan, M.D., Tourette 's syndrome (TS) is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by vo- cal and motor tics. TS is also associated with several behavior disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, con- duct disorder, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. We examined the impact of Tourette's syndrome with and without comorbid psychiatric disorders on the fam- ily. TS complicated by comorbid disorders had a greater impact on the family than uncomplicated TS. Tourette's symptom severity was significantly correlated with the level of impact on the family and with the number of comorbid disorders. TS is a disorder with effects that extend beyond motor and vocal tics. KEY WORDS: Tourette's Syndrome; family impact; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Oppositional Defiant Disorder Tourette's syndrome (TS) is a neuropsychological disorder that typically ap- pears in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by motor and vocal tics; involuntary, nonrhythmic movements or vocalizations, and has been shown to negadvely affect school performance (Hagin & Kugler, 1988; Wodrich, 1998) and ' Graduate Assistant, Department of Psychological and Social Foundations, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. ^Graduate Assistant, Department of Psychology, Llniversity of South Florida, Tampa, FL. 'Assistant Professor, Center for Aging and Brain Repair, Departments of Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. "• professor . Center for Infant and Child Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. 'Professor and Director, Center for Aging and Brain Repair, Departments of Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. ^Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. 'Correspondence should be directed to Berney J. Wilkinson, Center for Infant and Child Development, 3515 E. Fletcher Ave., MDC 14, Tampa, FL 33613; e-mail: bwilkins@hsc.usf.edu. 477 1062-1024/01/1200-0477/0 © 2002 Human Sciences Press. Inc.