Hanne Elberling

Psychometric Properties of the Danish Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire: The SDQ Assessed for More than 70,000 Raters in Four Different Cohorts

Background The Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief behavioural five factor instrument developed to assess emotional and behavioural problems in children and adolescents. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the psychometric properties for parent and teacher ratings in the Danish version of SDQ for different age groups of boys and girls. Methods The Danish versions of the SDQ were distributed to a total of 71,840 parent and teacher raters of 5-, 7- and 10- to 12-year-old children included in four large scale Danish cohorts. The internal reliability was assessed and exploratory factor analyses were carried out to replicate the originally proposed five factor structure. Mean scores and percentiles were examined in order to differentiate between low, medium and high levels of emotional and behavioural difficulties. Results The original five factor structure could be substantially confirmed. The Conduct items however did not solely load on the proposed Conduct scale and the Conduct scale was further contaminated by non-conduct items. Positively worded items tended to load on the Prosocial scale. This was more so the case for teachers than for parents. Parent and teacher means and percentiles were found to be lower compared to British figures but similar to or only slightly lower than those found in the other Nordic countries. The percentiles for girls were generally lower than for boys, markedly so for the teacher hyperactivity ratings. Conclusions The study supports the usefulness of the SDQ as a screening tool for boys and girls across age groups and raters in the general Danish population.

Eating patterns in a population-based sample of children aged 5 to 7 years: association with psychopathology and parentally perceived impairment.

Objective: There is still a lack of research on childhood eating patterns and their correlates in relation to psychopathology and parentally perceived impact in general population samples. We aimed to determine which eating patterns were more likely to be identified as problematic by parents, and their impact and association with childhood psychopathology (emotional, behavioral, and pervasive developmental disorders) in a general population child cohort. Methods: We collected data as part of the 5- to 7-year-old follow-up of a randomly derived subsample of the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000. Of the eligible 2912, 1327 (45.6%) children and parents participated in the study. Parents were interviewed using a composite instrument assessing eating behaviors and their impact. Associations with contemporaneous psychopathology were determined using logistic regression. Results: Five eating patterns were identified (good eating/overeating, picky eating, slow/poor eating, delayed eating behaviors, and snacking behaviors); among these, picky eating and slow/poor eating were described as a problem by more than half of parents and they also had high impact. Picky eating was associated with psychopathology across disorders. Emotional undereating was associated with emotional and functional somatic symptoms. A quarter of parents described at least one eating behavior as a problem. Conclusions: Eating behaviors in a general population cohort were differentially associated with impact and psychopathology. Picky eating was highlighted among other behaviors as having negative correlates. Better knowledge of how childhood eating behaviors impact on children and their association with psychopathology will aid adequate assessment and treatment.

Psychiatric disorders in Danish children aged 5–7 years: A general population study of prevalence and risk factors from the Copenhagen Child Cohort (CCC 2000)

Abstract Background: Knowledge about the presentation of psychopathology in preschool age and associated risk factors is fundamental to preventive intervention before schooling. Aims: To investigate the full spectrum of psychiatric diagnoses in general population children at the period of transition from preschool to school. Methods: A sample of 1585 children from the Copenhagen Child Cohort, CCC2000 aged 5–7 years was assessed using the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) with diagnostic classification by experienced clinicians. Perinatal, sociodemographic and socio-economic data was obtained from Danish national registries. Results: The prevalence of any ICD-10 psychiatric disorder was 5.7% (95%CI: 4.4–7.1). Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) were found in 1.3% (95%CI: 0.8–1.8) and behavioural and hyperkinetic disorders were found in 1.5% (95%CI: 0.9–2.1) and 1.0% (95%CI: 0.4–1.6), respectively. Emotional disorders were found in 2.9% (95%CI: 1.9–40). More boys were diagnosed with PDD, behavioural disorders and tics. No gender differences were found in hyperactivity disorders (HD) and emotional disorders. Co-morbidity was frequent, in particular between HD and PDD, but also between HD and emotional disorder and behavioural disorder. Teenage mothers, single parents and low household income the first two years after the child’s birth were associated with a three-to fourfold increased risk of psychiatric disorder in the child at age 5–7 years. Conclusion: The study results point to two “windows of opportunity” for prevention. In the earliest postnatal years, prevention should target families at socio-economic risk; and in the years before schooling, intervention should focus on children with symptoms of PDD, HD, and behavioural disorders.