Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale as a predictor of cognitive development and IQ in full-term infants: a 6-year longitudinal study.

AIM: To evaluate the predictive capacity of neonatal behaviour on infant mental and psychomotor development at 4 and 12 months, and infant intelligence at 6 years. METHOD: Eighty full-term newborns were followed from 3 days until 6 years. Neonatal behaviour was assessed by the Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale (NBAS) at 3 days postpartum, infant mental and psychomotor development was assessed by the Bayley Scales for Infant Development at 4 and 12 months, and child intelligence was assessed by the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence at 6 years. RESULTS: Neonatal general irritability was the predictor of mental development at 12 months. Self-regulation behaviours were predictors of psychomotor development at 4 and 12 months and verbal and total intelligence quotient at 6 years. Neonatal orientation was a predictor of performance Wechsler subtests related to visomotor abilities and attention. CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal self-regulation behaviours were the best predictors of infant development and intelligence. We suggest that the NBAS could be a useful tool to observe behaviours related to later development in healthy infants.

Neonatal behaviour characteristics and psychological problems at 6 years.

AIM: To examine the predictive capacity of the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) on psychological problems at the age of 6 y. METHODS: Eighty full-term infants of optimal health were evaluated at 3 d and 4 wk of age with the NBAS and at 6 y with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Inattention-Overactivity with Aggression Conners Teacher's Rating Scale (IOWA). RESULTS: The NBAS clusters' predictive value was different at 3 d and at 4 wk. Orientation at 3 d and habituation at 4 wk were the best predictors of psychological problems. At 3 d, lower orientation scores and higher motor and habituation scores predicted higher scores in externalizing problems. Externalizing problems were least influenced by background variables. Only in girls were internalizing problems associated with lower orientation scores. At 4 wk, lower habituation cluster scores predicted higher scores in internalizing problems. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the NBAS could be useful for identifying neonates at risk of later psychological problems.

Parents and teachers reports of DSM-IV psychopathological symptoms in preschool children: differences between urban-rural Spanish areas.

BACKGROUND: This study used DSM-IV criteria to analyse reports from teachers and parents and to compare behavioural and emotional symptoms in Spanish preschool children from both urban and rural populations. METHOD: The field survey was conducted in two geographical areas in Catalonia (Spain). A sample of 1104 children (56.67% boys and 43.32% girls) aged 3-6 years participated in this study: 697 were from urban areas and 408 from rural ones. The Early Childhood Inventory-teachers' and parents' versions (ECI-4) [Gadow KD, Sprafkin J (1997)-was used as the screening instrument. RESULTS: The teachers' and parents' reports assigned 32.7 and 46.7%, respectively, to one or more ECI-4 categories. Significant differences between sexes were found in teachers' reports. The whole disorders were significantly more prevalent in the urban sample than in the rural one (30.6 vs. 20.3%). The most prevalent disorders in both areas were Anxiety Disorders and Behavioural Problems, and the least prevalent were Mood Disorders and Autistic Disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that there are some differences in the prevalence rates of preschool psychopathological disorders between rural and urban Spanish areas.

Psychological problems and nutritional status in 6-year-old children.

There were no relations between nutritional status and psychological problems in 83 nonclinical 6-yr.-old children from low-risk socioeconomic and family backgrounds. Only Vitamin B12 and weight were significantly lower in the group with psychological problems. More in-depth longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm these results.

Psychological problems and associated factors at 6 years of age: differences between sexes.

In a non-clinical group of 130 children (65 boys and 65 girls), we evaluated the relationships between psychological problems using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) reported by parents, the Inattention Overactivity With Aggression (IOWA) scale reported by teachers, individual factors (Intellectual quotient [IQ], temperament and heart rate) and environmental factors (stress events, mother's profession and being or not being an only child). We found no differences between the sexes in the prevalence of total psychological problems in the clinical range, but girls had significantly more borderline total problems than boys. Girls tended to have more externalizing problems than boys. In boys, there were more links between individual and environmental factors and psychological problems, especially externalizing problems. A high score in psychological problems assessed by the CBCL affected the school performance of boys and the social performance of girls. For boys, IQ was significantly lower when the score for total behavioral problems was higher, and for girls IQ was significantly lower when the score for externalizing problems was higher. Understanding the different levels of vulnerability of the sexes at different periods of development may help to improve the treatment children in this age group receive.

Parental reports of somatic symptoms in preschool children: prevalence and associations in a Spanish sample.

OBJECTIVE: To document prevalence and associations of somatic symptoms in Spanish preschool children. METHOD: Subjects were 3- to 5-year-olds attending nurseries (8 urban, 30 rural). Parental questionnaires (response rate 77%) were used to inquire about somatic symptoms in the child in the 2 weeks prior to assessment, about preschool absence and pediatric help-seeking, chronic family health problems, and recent stressful life events for the child. Parents completed questionnaires on child psychopathology (Early Childhood Inventory 4) and their own mental health (General Health Questionnaire). Children who were reported as complaining of symptoms frequently (four or more times) were compared to noncomplaining children. RESULTS: Parents reported that 452 of the 807 (56%) children complained of somatic symptoms at least once, significantly more so in urban than in rural areas. Frequent somatic complaints were reported for 165 of the 807 (20%) (abdominal pains 7.9%, tiredness 5.7%, leg pains 4%, headaches 2%, dizziness 0.4%). There were significant associations of frequent symptom reporting with days off preschool and pediatric clinic attendance, with emotional and behavioral symptoms in children, mental distress in parents, and urban abode. CONCLUSIONS: Somatic symptoms are common in preschool children. Results point to family influences.

Problemas para dormir en la etapa preescolar / Sleep problems in preschool children

El objetivo de este estudio fue conocer la prevalencia, referida por los padres, de los problemas para dormir durante la etapa preescolar, y analizar su relación con variables sociofamiliares y psicopatológicas. Un total de 851 niños de edades comprendidas entre los 3 y los 6 años fueron evaluados mediante el Early Childhood Inventory-Parents Cheklist (ECI-4), un instrumento que permite valorar síntomas de trastornos psicopatológicos a partir de criterios DSM-IV. Además se administró el General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) a los padres y se obtuvo información relativa a la estructura familiar, los hábitos familiares y de vida del niño y la presencia de acontecimientos vitales estresantes. Un 19.0 por ciento de la muestra estudiada presenta problemas para dormir. Estos problemas están asociados a la presencia de psicopatología en el niño y problemas de salud en sus padres. Los resultados obtenidos permiten concluir que la aparición de problemas para dormir durante la etapa preescolar debe ser considerada como un signo de alarma de la presencia de un problema específico del sueño pero a la vez de otro problema, quizás incluso más grave, de carácter psicosocial o psicopatológico (AU)