Preschool behavior disorders: their prevalence in relation to determinants

The occurrence of behavior disorders was investigated in a prospectively followed 3-year-old birth cohort. Of 1116 eligible children, the parents of 918 were successfully contacted. All agreed to complete a telephone interview and were mailed a Childhood Behavior Checklist (CBCL) standardized for 2- to 3-year-old children; 756 (82%) returned the CBCL. The prevalence of one or more of the deviant behavior syndromes identified by the CBCL was 11.1%. From a number of subject characteristics recorded throughout infancy, age-specific determinants for the occurrence of these deviant behaviors were identified. Characteristics most consistently associated with preschool psychopathology included the mother's ill health and lack of social support, the presence of chronic illness in the child, and the frequent use of hospital emergency services. These and other determinant (risk) indicators were entered into logistic regression (LR) models to derived adjusted relative risk estimates for the occurrence of a behavior disorder. The derived LR equations emphasize the important role of both the mother as well and the father and the health of the child.