title: Associations between high levels of conduct problems and co-occurring problems among the youngest boys and girls in schools: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies have focused on conduct problems and co-occurring problems among the youngest children in schools, such as social, internalizing and attention problems. In particular, there is a lack of studies that differentiate between boys and girls in terms of such problems.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the current study was to test associations between conduct problems and social, internalizing and attention problems, as well as adaptive school functioning, which was rated by the teachers of boys and girls in grades 1-3.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional study, 103 boys and 108 girls in grades 1-3 at six schools participated in a national Norwegian study of child conduct problems in the normal population. Linear regression analysis was used to test the associations between conduct problems, social skills, problems of internalization, attention problems and adaptation to school among boys and girls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant associations between high levels of conduct problems and social skills problems, attention problems and low adaptive school functioning scores among boys and girls. Attention problems had the most powerful associations with conduct problems for both genders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Young schoolchildren with high levels of conduct problems also had co-occurring problems. Schools and teachers need to adopt a comprehensive approach to help these children during their first years in school.
authors.affiliation: Regional Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Institute of Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway. bente.kirkhaug@ntnu.no
authors.forename: Bente
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kirkhaug
authors.forename: May Britt
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Drugli
authors.forename: Stian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lydersen
authors.forename: Willy-Tore
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Mørch
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D012574:Schools; D012919:Social Behavior