The association between preschool behavioural problems and internalizing difficulties at age 10-12 years

Kirsten Slemming (1) , Merete J. Sørensen (1) , Per H. Thomsen (1) , Carsten Obel (2) , Tine B. Henriksen (3) , Karen M. Linnet (3)

1 Aarhus University Hospital, Regional Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
2 Perinatal Epidemiology Research Unit, Department of Pediatrics
3 Perinatal Epidemiology Research Unit, Department of Pediatrics

The aim was to study the association between preschool behavioural problems and emotional symptoms in 10- to 12-year-old children. The study was based on the Aarhus Birth cohort, Denmark, and included 1,336 children. Based on the parent-administered preschool behaviour questionnaire (PBQ), we identified three not mutually exclusive preschool behavioural categories: anxious-fearful ( = 146), hyperactive-distractible ( = 98), and hostile-aggressive ( = 170). Children without any known symptoms were considered well adjusted ( = 1,000). Borderline emotional ( = 105) and emotional difficulties ( = 136) were measured at age 10-12 years with the parent-administered strength and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ). Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to adjust for potential confounding factors. We found that anxious-fearful behaviour and hostile-aggressive preschool behaviour were associated with twice the risk of school-age emotional difficulties. Comorbidity or confounding failed to explain these results. Hyperactive-distractible preschool behaviour was not associated with school-age emotional difficulties. Preschool anxious-fearful behaviour was associated with school-age emotional difficulties, suggesting internalizing symptom stability in some children from early childhood. Preschool hostile-aggressive behaviour was also associated with school-age emotional difficulties, which suggests transformation of one behavioural dimension into another through childhood, and the need to focus on both early internalizing difficulties and hostile-aggressive behaviour as risk factors for later internalizing difficulties.

Mots clés: School-age; Internalizing; Externalizing; Symptom stability; Preschool

Kirsten Slemming, Merete J. Sørensen, Per H. Thomsen, Carsten Obel, Tine B. Henriksen, et al.. The association between preschool behavioural problems and internalizing difficulties at age 10-12 years. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2010, 19 (10), pp.787-795. ⟨10.1007/s00787-010-0128-2⟩. ⟨hal-00618487⟩