Emotional and behavioral problems at an early age can reasonably be considered a high-risk factor for later mental health disorders. The aim of the article is to reveal predictive factors of 1½-year-old children's emotional and behavioral problems. The study was a part of a prospective birth-cohort study. The study sample consisted of 172 full-term infants (born during Gestational Weeks 37-42) and their mothers. Emotional and behavioral problems at the age of 1½ years were measured using the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1½-5 (T. Achenbach & L. Rescorla, 2000), which was completed by mothers. Emotional and behavioral problems at age of 1½ years were more prevalent in infants born via cesarean section, as compared to infants born vaginally without administration of medication. Newborns' suboptimal functioning after birth, complicated emotional acceptance of pregnancy, a couple's nonsatisfactory relationship during pregnancy, maternal distress during pregnancy and in the first months after childbirth, and inflexible and parent-oriented attitudes toward infant-rearing also predicted children's emotional and behavioral problems independent of sociodemographic factors. Results suggest that biomedical and psychosocial factors which manifest themselves in the prenatal and perinatal periods can have associations with later infant and child mental health.
Keywords: Développement précoce; Externalisierungsprobleme; Frühe Entwicklung; Internalisierungsprobleme; ansiedad materna; desarrollo temprano; détresse maternelle; early development; externalizing problems; internalizing problems; maternal distress; mütterlicher Stress; problemas de externalización; problemas de internalización; problèmes d'externalisation; problèmes d'internalisation; 內化問題; 内在化問題; 外化問題; 外在化問題; 早期発達; 早期發展; 母親の苦痛; 產婦困擾.
© 2016 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.