Pattern of preschool behavior problems in New Zealand, using the Behavior Check List.

Abstract

The main aim of the study was to identify the pattern of behaviour problems in preschool children to enable early recognition and intervention. Three hundred and twenty children, in eight randomly selected preschool centres, aged between 2.5 and 5 years, were included in the study. Parents completed the Behaviour Check List (BCL),a screening measure for preschool behaviour problems. Dependency, temper tantrums, and being difficult to manage were the commonly rated symptoms when moderate-severe problems were examined. Developmental problems decreased with increasing age, while relationship problems and worries that were cognitively mediated worsened. There were no major differences in the patterns between boys and girls. On cross-cultural comparison, parents in New Zealand rated their children lower on the BCL compared to those in the UK. Factor analysis of the BCL yielded seven factors. The two main factors 'predominantly conduct' and 'predominantly emotional' consisted of a mixture of conduct (difficulty in managing, temper tantrums, sibling rivalry) and emotional (unhappy mood, worry, fears) problems. The other five factors were related to developmental problems. These results help clinicians identify the emerging pattern of preschool behaviour problems that change with increasing age and vary with differing cultures. Categorical presentation of preschool behaviour problems support the view that they should be included in a classification system.