An individual or environmental characteristic that precedes a mental disorder and is correlated with that disorder is called

The answer is: Risk factor

Explanation:

Risk factor, also known as Determinant, is a variable associated with the susceptibility of an individual to an infection or a disease. It is correlational and not necessarily causal in nature.

It can also be described as any characteristic or attribute that increases the risk of an individual to an infection or disease.

Risk factors can be defined in terms of relative risk which can be expressed as the ratio of risk of the exposed individuals and potential risk factor of individuals that are not exposed.