Findings indicated that African-American (AA) youth were at lower risk for DISC-IV/DSM-IV disorders overall than were other youth when rates were adjusted for DISC-IV impairment and Child Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) score. About one in six youths met criteria for one or more disorders in the past year, with no difference among groups in crude rates. Based on these results, the viability of various conceptual frameworks attempting to explain ethno cultural differences in the etiology or natural history of psychiatric disorder remains unclear. Future research should focus on the factors driving what may be reduced force of psychiatric morbidity among AA youth. For most ethnic groups in the United States, it is not known the prevalence or incidence of diagnosable psychiatric disorders. With the lack of data on incidence and prevalence, it follows that understanding in the many ethno cultural groups that make up American society is lacking. This study presents prevalence data for adolescents in a large metropolitan area and examines the association of DSM-IV diagnoses with functional impairment and selected demographic correlates among European American, African-American, and Mexican American youth. Tables, references