title: The incidence, prevalence, and severity of behavior disorders among preschool-aged children in day care.
abstract: This study examined the incidence, prevalence, and severity of 14 empirically derived externalizing (unsocialized aggressive) and internalizing (socially withdrawn) behaviors among 2- through 5-year-olds attending day care. Teacher ratings were obtained for 558 children in the incidence sample and 709 children in the expanded prevalence sample. Within each age, data were cross-tabulated by sex of child and severity of behavior, and chi-square analyses were computed. Results indicated that a substantial proportion of children in the normal pre-school population exhibit relatively high severities of selected externalizing and internalizing behaviors; this proportion varied with the age of the child and the behavior rated. Preschool-aged boys were consistently rated as demonstrating greater frequencies of externalizing behaviors than preschool-girls. The diagnostic and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000374:Aggression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002652:Child Behavior; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D012737:Sex Factors; D012934:Social Isolation; D014707:Vermont