Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Published in: European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 7/2006

01-10-2006 | ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION

The continuity of psychopathology from early childhood to preadolescence

A prospective cohort study of 3–12-year-old children

Authors: Leena Pihlakoski, Andre Sourander, Minna Aromaa, Päivi Rautava, Hans Helenius, Matti Sillanpää

Published in: European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry | Issue 7/2006

Login to get access

Abstract

Objective

To study the continuity of psychopathology from the age of 3–12 years.

Methods

In a population-based birth cohort, children’s emotional and behavioral problems were assessed at age 3 using the Child Behavior Checklist 2–3 (CBCL 2–3), and at age 12 by parents using the CBCL 11–18, and the Youth Self Report (YSR) completed by the children. Behavioral ratings were obtained from 800 subjects at both time points.

Results

externalizing problems at age 3 predicted both externalizing and internalizing problems among both genders in preadolescence. In girls, internalizing behavior at age 3 predicted parent-reported internalizing behavior, and associated negatively with externalizing behavior in self-reports at age 12. Aggressive behavior was found to be remarkably stable, and both aggressive and destructive behavior independently predicted a wide range of later externalizing and internalizing problems. Parent ratings of withdrawal showed stability from early childhood to preadolescence in both genders. Somatic complaints of 3-year-old girls independently predicted both externalizing and internalizing problems.

Conclusions

The results show the complexity of pathways in psychopathology from early childhood to preadolescence. In particular, aggressive and destructive behaviors in very early childhood predict later problems and necessitate early recognition and possible intervention at an early age. An instrument like the CBCL 2–3 is valuable in the early detection of children at risk of long-term problems.
Literature
1.
Achenbach TM, Howell CT, McConaughy SH, Stanger C (1987) Child/adolescent behavioral and emotional problems: implications of cross-informant correlations for situational specificity. Psychol Bull 101:213–232PubMedCrossRef
2.
Achenbach TM (1991a) Manual for the child behavior checklist 4–18 and 1991 profile. University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry, Burlington
3.
Achenbach TM (1991b) Manual for the youth self report and 1991 profile. University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry, Burlington
4.
Achenbach TM, Howell CT, McConaughy SH, Stanger C (1995) Six-year predictors of problems in a national sample, III: transition to young adult syndromes. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 34:658–669PubMedCrossRef
5.
Anderson LM, Shinn C, Fullilove MT, Scrimshaw SC, Fielding JE, Normand J, Carande-Kulis VG (2003) The effectiveness of early childhood development programs: a systematic review. Am J Prev Med 24:32–48PubMedCrossRef
6.
Brestan EV, Eyberg SM (1998) Effective psychosocial treatments of conduct-disordered children and adolescents: 29 years, 82 studies, and 5272 kids. J Clin Child Psychiatry 27:180–189CrossRef
7.
Campbell SB (1995) Behavior problems in preschool children. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 36:113–149PubMed
8.
Caspi A, Moffitt TE, Newman DI, Silva PA (1996) Behavioral observations at age 3 predict adult psychiatric disorders: longitudinal evidence from a birth cohort. Arch Gen Psychiatry 53:1033–1039PubMed
9.
Cohen P, Cohen J, Kasen S, Velez N, Hartmark C, Johnson J, Rojas M, Brook J, Streunung E (1993) An epidemiological study of disorders in late childhood and adolescence—I: age- and gender-specific prevalence. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 34:851–867PubMed
10.
Cohen P, Cohen J, Kasen S, Velez N, Hartmark C, Johnson J, Rojas M, Brook J, Streunung E (1993) An epidemiological study of disorders in late childhood and adolescence—II: persistence of disorders. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 34:869–877PubMed
11.
Costello EJ, Angold A, Keeler GP (1999) Adolescent outcomes of childhood disorders: the consequences of severity and impairment. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 38:121–128PubMedCrossRef
12.
Egeland B, Pianta R, Ogawa J (1996) Early behaviour problems: pathways to mental disorders in adolescence. Dev Psychopathol 8:735–749CrossRef
13.
Egger H, Costello J, Erkanli A, Angold A (1999) Somatic complaints and psychopathology of children and adolescents: stomach aches, musculoskeletal pains, and headaches. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 38:852–860PubMedCrossRef
14.
Ferdinand RF, Verhulst FC (1995) Psychopathology from adolescence into young adulthood: an 8-year follow-up study. Am J Psychiatry 152:1586–1594PubMed
15.
Herjanic B, Reich W (1997) Development of a structured psychiatric interview for children: agreement between child and parent on individual symptoms. J Abnorm Child Psychol 25:21–31PubMedCrossRef
16.
Hofstra MB, van der Ende J, Verhulst FC (2000) Continuity and change of psychopathology from childhood into adulthood: a 14-year follow-up study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 39:850–858PubMedCrossRef
17.
Hofstra MB, van der Ende J, Verhulst F (2002) Child and adolescent problems predict DSM-IV disorders in adulthood. A 14-year follow-up of Dutch epidemiological sample. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 41:182–189PubMedCrossRef
18.
19.
Kasius M, Ferdinand R, van den Berg H, Verhulst F (1997) Associations between different diagnostic approaches for child and adolescent psychopathology. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 38(6):625–632PubMed
20.
Keenan K, Shaw DS, Walsh B, Delliquadri E, Giovannelli J (1997) DSM-III-R disorders in preschool children from low-income families. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 36:620–627PubMedCrossRef
21.
Kim-Cohen J, Caspi A, Moffitt TE, Harrington HL, Milne BJ, Poulton R (2003) Prior juvenile diagnoses in adults with mental disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry 60:709–717PubMedCrossRef
22.
Kolko D, Kadzin A (1993) Emotional/behavioural problems in clinic and non-clinic children: correspondence among child, parent and teacher reports. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 34:991–1006PubMed
23.
Koot H, van den Oord E, Verhulst F, Boomsma DI (1997) Behavioral and emotional problems in young pre-schoolers: cross-cultural testing of the validity of the Child Behavior Checklist 2/3. J Abnorm Child Psychol 25:183–196PubMedCrossRef
24.
Koskinen R, Meriläinen J, Gissler M, Virtanen M (1998) Finnish perinatal statistics 1996: statistical report. Stakes Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
25.
Kroes M, Kalff A, Steyaert J, Kessels A, Feron F, Hendriksen J, van Zeben T, Troost J, Jolles J, Vles J (2002) A longitudinal community study: do psychosocial risk factors and Child Behavior Checklist scores at 5 years of age predict psychiatric diagnoses at a later age? J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 41:955–963PubMedCrossRef
26.
Lavigne JV, Arend R, Rosenbaum D, Binns HJ, Christoffel KK, Gibbons RD (1998) Psychiatric disorders with onset in the preschool years: II: correlates and predictors of stable case status. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 37:1255–1261PubMedCrossRef
27.
Mesman J, Bongers I, Koot (2001) Preschool developmental pathways to preadolescent internalizing and externalizing problems. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 42:679–689PubMedCrossRef
28.
Mesman J, Koot H (2000) Child-reported depression and anxiety in preadolescence: I. associations with parent- and teacher-reported problems. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 39:1371–1378PubMedCrossRef
29.
Mesman J, Koot H (2001) Early preschool predictors of preadolescent internalizing and externalizing DSM-IV diagnosis. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 40:1029–1036PubMedCrossRef
30.
Mesman J, Bongers I, Koot H (2001) Preschool developmental pathways to preadolescent internalizing and externalizing problems. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 42:679–689PubMedCrossRef
31.
Moffitt TE, Caspi A (2001) Childhood predictors differentiate life-course persistent and adolescence-limited antisocial pathways among males and females. Dev Psychopathol 13:355–375PubMedCrossRef
32.
Offord D, Boyle M, Racine Y (1992) Outcome, prognosis, and risk in a longitudinal follow-up study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 31:916–923PubMed
33.
Pihlakoski L, Aromaa M, Sourander A, Rautava P, Helenius H, Sillanpää M (2004) Use of and need for professional help for emotional and behavioral problems among preadolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 43:974–983PubMedCrossRef
34.
Rautava P, Sillanpää M (1989) The Finnish family competence study: knowledge of childbirth of nulliparous women seen at maternity health care clinics. J Epidemiol Community Health 43:253–260PubMedCrossRef
35.
Rose SL, Rose SA, Feldman J (1989) Stability of behaviour problems in very young children. Dev Psychopathol 1:5–19
36.
Rubin K, Stewart L (1996) Social withdrawal. In: Mash E, Barkley R (eds), Child psychopathology. Guilford, New York, pp. 277–307
37.
Rutter M (1989) Isle of Wight revisited: twenty-five years of child psychiatric epidemiology. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 28:633–653PubMed
38.
Simonoff E, Pickles A, Meyer J (1997) The Virginia twin study of adolescent behavioral development: influences of age, sex, and impairment on rates of disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry 54:801–808PubMed
39.
Stanger C, Achenbach TM, Verhulst F (1997) Accelerated longitudinal comparisons of aggressive versus delinquent syndromes. Dev Psychopathol 9:43–58PubMedCrossRef
40.
Tremblay RE, Phil RO, Vitaro F, Dobkin PL (1994) Predicting early onset of male antisocial behavior from preschool behavior. Arch Gen Psychiatry 51:732–739PubMed
41.
van der Valk J, van den Oord E, Verhulst F, Boomsma D (2003) Genetic and environmental contributions to stability and change in children’s internalizing and externalizing problems. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 42:1212–1220PubMed
42.
Verhulst F, van der Ende J (1995) The eight-year stability of problem behavior in an epidemiological sample. Pediatr Res 38:612–617PubMed
43.
Webster-Stratton C, Taylor T (2001) Nipping early risk factors in the bud: preventing substance abuse, delinquency, and violence in adolescence through interventions targeted at young children (0–8 years). Prev Sci 2:165–192PubMedCrossRef
44.
Wu P, Hoven C, Bird H, Moore R, Cohen P, Alegria M, Dulcan M, Goodman S, Horwitz S, Lichtman J, Narrow W, Rae D, Regier D, Roper M (1999) Depressive and disruptive disorders and mental health utilization in children and adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 38:1081–1090PubMedCrossRef
Metadata
Title
The continuity of psychopathology from early childhood to preadolescence
A prospective cohort study of 3–12-year-old children
Authors
Leena Pihlakoski
Andre Sourander
Minna Aromaa
Päivi Rautava
Hans Helenius
Matti Sillanpää
Publication date
01-10-2006
Publisher
Steinkopff-Verlag
Published in
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry / Issue 7/2006
Print ISSN: 1018-8827
Electronic ISSN: 1435-165X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-006-0548-1

Other articles of this Issue 7/2006

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 7/2006 Go to the issue

ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION

Ethnic differences in parental detection of externalizing disorders

ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION

Prevalence of movement disorders in adolescent patients with schizophrenia and in relationship to predominantly atypical antipsychotic treatment

ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION

Children aged 4–8 years treated with parent training and child therapy because of conduct problems: generalisation effects to day-care and school settings

ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION

Suicide in Austrian children and young adolescents aged 14 and younger

ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION

The effect of birth-weight with genetic susceptibility on depressive symptoms in childhood and adolescence

ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTION

Impaired working speed and executive functions as frontal lobe dysfunctions in young first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients