[Regulatory disorders in infancy: data of the leipzig counseling service for parents with infants and toddlers].
BACKGROUND
About 25 % of children in the first three years attract attention due to regulatory disorders like un-apeasable crying, chronic fussing, sleep- and feeding-disorders as well as excessive temper-tantrums. Meanwhile there are many counselling services in Germany, which provide help for parents.


METHODS
Data of 153 families with infants and toddlers till the age of three, who visited the Leipzig counselling service during a period of two years.


METHODS
Paediatric-neurodevelopmental status and extensive psychosocial anamnesis following a semi-structured interview-guideline.


RESULTS
74 % of the families attended one or two times, in 60 % of these cases an improvement or solution of the problem occurred. 18 % of the mothers showed depressive symptoms, which are linked to the absence of the partners on a highly significant level. 23 % of the families were acutely psycho-socially stressed; these families were neither able to use the offered interventions in an appropriate way, nor were others able to use it at all.


CONCLUSIONS
The surveyed data support the assumption, that early childhood intervention provides help briefly and economically. For the relatively large group of "multi-problem families" in the sample we can not yet offer intervention strategies, which could help these children to reduce their high developmental risk.
Hiermann
P
P
Universität Leipzig, Medizinische Fakultät, Universitätsklinik und Poliklinik für Kinder und Jugendliche, Leipzig. hiep@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Fries
M
M
Hückel
D
D
Kiess
W
W
Merkenschlager
A
A
D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002660:Child Guidance / Q000379:methods*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004493:Education / Q000379:methods*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D020954:Single-Parent Family