Factors Influencing Children’s Behavioral Problems: Results from a Longitudinal Study of British Children from Birth to Seven Years

Abstract

This study explored a longitudinal data set of over 10,663 children at age 7 years to examine various psychological and sociological factors that possibly influenced their behavioural problems. Data were collected when cohort members were born, then 9 months old, and later at later at ages 3 and 7 years. Structural equation modelling showed that the family income, maternal psychological distress, the parent-child relationship, and maternal personality traits all had direct significant effects on children’s behavioural problems, accounting for 42 percent of the total variance. The strongest predictor was parent-child relationship, followed by maternal emotional stability (low neuroticism) and the family poverty indicator.