Behavior Problems in Low-Income Young Children Screened in Pediatric Primary Care

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Developmental Pediatrics
• Public Health

Background:

• Screening for behavior problems in young children is crucial for timely intervention.
• Identifying different behavior problem trajectories helps tailor prevention and treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify trajectories of behavior problems in children aged 2 to 6 years.
• To examine demographic and clinical correlates of these trajectories.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 15,218 children aged 2-6 years in pediatric primary care.
• Latent growth mixture modeling of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) scores.
• Multinomial logistic regression to assess correlates.

Main Results:

• Four behavior problem trajectories were identified: low-stable, moderate-decreasing, low-increasing, and high-increasing.
• Male sex, White race, public insurance, social needs, and caregiver depression were associated with elevated trajectories.
• Children in the high-increasing trajectory were more likely to be male, White, have social needs, and have a caregiver with depression.

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of young children exhibit increased behavior problems, highlighting the need for pediatric primary care screening.
• Early prevention and treatment should prioritize children with caregivers experiencing depression and those with identified social needs to improve developmental trajectories.