title: Behavioral profiles in 4-5 year-old children: normal and pathological variants.
abstract: Normal and psychopathological patterns of behavior symptoms in pre-school children were described by a classification approach using cluster analysis. The behavior of 406 children, average age 4 years 9 months, from the general population was evaluated at home visits. Seven clusters were identified based on empirically defined dimensions: attention, hyperactivity, aggressiveness, social relationship problems, sleeping problems, eating problems, depression and anxiety. Clusters scoring high in inattention, hyperactivity, aggressiveness, and social relationship problems but low in depression and anxiety were found and could indicate early onset conduct disorder. The approach of analysing patterns of symptoms expands the basis on which normal and psychopathological patterns are distinguished.
authors.affiliation: Department of Woman and Child Health, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit, Karolinska Institutet, Q3:04, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska Hospital, SE-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden. jan-olov.larsson@kbh.ki.se
authors.forename: Jan-Olov
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.forename: Lars R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: Felton
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Earls
authors.forename: Per-Anders
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Rydelius
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires