Abstract
BackgroundThe prevalence of social-emotional and behavioral problems is estimated to be 8 to 9% among preschool children. Effective early detection tools are needed to promote the provision of adequate care at an early stage. The Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) was developed for this purpose. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the BITSEA to enhance social-emotional and behavioral health of preschool children.Methods and DesignA cluster randomized controlled trial is set up in youth health care centers in the larger Rotterdam area in the Netherlands, to evaluate the BITSEA. The 31 youth health care centers are randomly allocated to either the control group or the intervention group. The intervention group uses the scores on the BITSEA and cut-off points to evaluate a child's social-emotional and behavioral health and to decide whether or not the child should be referred. The control group provides care as usual, which involves administering a questionnaire that structures the conversation between child health professionals and parents. At a one year follow-up measurement the social-emotional and behavioral health of all children included in the study population will be evaluated.DiscussionIt is hypothesized that better results will be found, in terms of social-emotional and behavioral health in the intervention group, compared to the control group, due to more adequate early detection, referral and more appropriate and timely care.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials NTR2035
Highlights
The prevalence of social-emotional and behavioral problems is estimated to be 8 to 9% among preschool children
It is hypothesized that better results will be found, in terms of social-emotional and behavioral health in the intervention group, compared to the control group, due to more adequate early detection, referral and more appropriate and timely care
One study showed that only 29% of the children with severe problems, based on a Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) total problem score in the clinical range, were identified by child health professionals [2]
Summary
The prevalence of social-emotional and behavioral problems is estimated to be 8 to 9% among preschool children. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the BITSEA to enhance social-emotional and behavioral health of preschool children Psychosocial problems, such as social-emotional and behavioral problems, are prevalent among preschool children; in approximately 8-9 percent of preschool children, child health professionals identify psychosocial problems, such as anxious or depressed feelings and aggressive or disobedient behavior [1,2]. Psychosocial problems in this age group can interfere with everyday functioning [3,4,5]. In the Netherlands, participation of parents with their child in the preventive youth health care is free of charge and on voluntary basis; almost 95% of the parents of preschool children make use of the youth health care service [17]
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