Behavior problems and parenting stress in families of three-year-old children with and without developmental delays.
Children and adolescents with mental retardation are at heightened risk for mental disorder. We examined early evidence of behavior problems in 225 three-year-old children with or without developmental delays and the relative impact of cognitive delays and problem behaviors on their parents. Staff-completed Bayley Behavior Scales and parent-completed Child Behavior Checklists (CBCLs) showed greater problems in children with delays than in those without delays. Children with delays were 3 to 4 times as likely to have a total CBCL score within the clinical range. Parenting stress was higher in delayed condition families. Regression analyses revealed that the extent of child behavior problems was a much stronger contributor to parenting stress than was the child's cognitive delay.
D000293:Adolescent; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires