Emotional and behavioral problems in infants and preschool children: prevalence and sociodemographic risk factors

Year 2019, , 134 - 141, 04.01.2019

Çağatay Uğur Esra Yürümez , Yasemin Yılmazer

https://doi.org/10.18621/eurj.379887

Cited By: 2

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of behavioral disorders and the
relationship between sociodemographic, environmental and family factors among
infants and preschool children applied to psychiatry clinic.

Methods: The sample comprised 355 children between 20-59 months of age and showing
normal developmental pattern. After psychiatric assessments, the patients were
referred to the child development unit for developmental assessment, support
and psychoeducation. Ankara Developmental Screening Inventory (ADSI) was applied to all participants.

Results: The mean age was significantly higher among the children applied to the clinic
due to limit setting problems (LSP) than that of the children applied due to
the other problems. The children with speech delay were the group applied to
the clinic at the earliest age. Speech delay rates were higher among boys
compared with girls. Sibling jealousy was more common among girls than boys. In
the group with LSP, fathers’ education levels were lower than that of the group
without LSP. There was no difference between children in terms of the number of
siblings, birth order and family size.

Conclusion: The findings indicate
that limit setting was by far the most common problem among children applied to
our clinic. Consequently, the utility of results to raise intervention
strategies within limit setting should be developed and intervened earlier. 

Keywords

Infant, preschool children, limit-setting, emotional problems, behavioral problems

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