Behavior problems and dysfunctional parenting: Cross-sectional study in Japan

The Japanese government has established a law encouraging early detection and treatment of developmental disorders in children. Child behavior problems (CBP) tend to be recognized at school as a result of developmental disorders. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with CBP in Japan. We hypothesized that factors other than developmental disorders are important in explaining CBP.

The study was conducted between February and March 2015. Parents of 3,515 children aged 2-5 years attending one of 34 public nursery schools in Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan received self-administered questionnaires addressing parental socioeconomic factors, mental health, parenting style (i.e. hostile, overreactive, or lax), developmental disorders in children, and CBP. A multiple regression analysis was applied to explore associations between CBP and possible factors.

Overall, 1,410 mothers were eligible to participate in the study. Children diagnosed with developmental disorders accounted for 7.8% of the sample, while on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory 17% of children had behavior problems needing clinical intervention. After adjustment for confounding factors, as well as for the diagnosis of developmental disorders, poor mental status and all three dysfunctional parenting styles had strong associations with CBP, and hostile, overreactive, and lax parenting had standardized β-values (β) of 0.29, 0.28, and 0.15, respectively (P < 0.01). A problematic relationship between the parents was also significantly associated with CBP (β = -0.29, P < 0.01).

When CBP are identified, parenting skills, mental health status and parental relationships should be considered along with the possibility of developmental disorders in the development of interventions.