Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Modeling risks: effects of area deprivation, family socio-economic disadvantage and adverse life events on young children’s psychopathology

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

The effects of contextual risk on young children’s behavior are not appropriately modeled.

Aims

To model the effects of area and family contextual risk on young children’s psychopathology.

Method

The final study sample consisted of 4,618 Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) children, who were 3 years old, clustered in lower layer super output areas in nine strata in the UK. Contextual risk was measured by socio-economic disadvantage (SED) at both area and family level, and by distal and proximal adverse life events at family level. Multivariate response multilevel models that allowed for correlated residuals at both individual and area level, and univariate multilevel models estimated the effect of contextual risk on specific and broad psychopathology measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

Results

The area SED/broad psychopathology association remained significant after family SED was controlled, but not after maternal qualifications and family adverse life events were added to the model. Adverse life events predicted psychopathology in all models. Family SED did not predict emotional symptoms or hyperactivity after child characteristics were added to the model with the family-level controls.

Conclusions

Area-level SED predicts child psychopathology via family characteristics; family-level SED predicts psychopathology largely by its impact on development; and adverse life events predict psychopathology independently of earlier adversity, SED and child characteristics, as well as maternal psychopathology, parenting and education.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Rutter M (1979) Protective factors in children’s responses to stress and disadvantage. In: Kent MW, Rolf JE (eds) Primary prevention of psychopathology: III. Promoting social competence and coping in children. University Press of New England, Hanover, pp 49–74

  2. Ackerman BP, Izard CE, Schoff K, Youngstrom EA, Kogos J (1999) Contextual risk, caregiver emotionality, and the problem behaviors of six- and seven-year-old children from economically disadvantaged families. Child Dev 70:1415–1427

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Evans GW (2003) A multimethodological analysis of cumulative risk and allostatic load among rural children. Dev Psychol 39:924–933

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Burchinal M, Roberts J, Hooper S, Zeisel S (2000) Cumulative risk and early cognitive development: a comparison of statistical risk models. Dev Psychol 36:793–807

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Flouri E, Kallis C (2007) Adverse life events and psychopathology and prosocial behavior in late adolescence: testing the timing, specificity, accumulation, gradient, and moderation of contextual risk. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 46:1651–1659

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Deater-Deckard K, Dodge KA, Bates JE, Pettit GS (1998) Multiple risk factors in the development of externalizing behavior problems: group and individual differences. Dev Psychopathol 10:469–493

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Atzaba-Poria N, Pike A, Deater-Deckard K (2004) Do risk factors for problem behaviour act in a cumulative manner? An examination of ethnic minority and majority children through an ecological perspective. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 45:707–718

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Sameroff AJ, Seifer R, Baldwin A, Baldwin C (1993) Stability of intelligence from preschool to adolescence: the influence of social and family risk factors. Child Dev 64:80–97

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Flaherty EG, Thompson R, Litrownik AJ et al (2006) Effect of early childhood adversity on child health. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 160:1232–1238

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Gerard JM, Buehler C (2004) Cumulative environmental risk and youth problem behavior. J Marriage Family 66:702–720

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Morales JR, Guerra NG (2006) Effects of multiple context and cumulative stress on urban children’s adjustment in elementary school. Child Dev 77:907–923

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Simmons RG, Burgeson R, Carlton-Ford S, Blyth DA (1987) The impact of cumulative change in early adolescence. Child Dev 58:1220–1234

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Leventhal T, Brooks-Gunn J (2000) The neighborhoods they live in: the effects of neighborhood residence on children and adolescent outcomes. Psychol Bull 126:309–337

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Reijneveld SA, Brugman E, Verhulst FC, Verloove-Vanhorick SP (2005) Area deprivation and child psychosocial problems: a national cross-sectional study among school-aged children. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 40:18–23

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Collishaw S, Goodman R, Ford T, Rabe-Hesketh S, Pickles A (2009) How far are associations between child, family and community factors and child psychopathology informant-specific and informant-general? J Child Psychol Psychiatry 50:571–580

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. McCulloch A, Joshi HE (2001) Neighborhood and family influences on the cognitive ability of children in the British National Child Development Study. Soc Sci Med 53:59–591

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Wardle J, Robb K, Johnson F (2002) Assessing socioeconomic status in adolescents: the validity of a home affluence scale. J Epidemiol Community Health 56:595–599

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Schoon I, Bynner J, Joshi H, Parsons S, Wiggins RD, Sacker A (2002) The influence of context, timing, and duration of risk experiences for the passage from childhood to mid-adulthood. Child Dev 73:418–1486

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Bradshaw J, Finch N (2003) Overlaps in dimensions of poverty. J Soc Policy 32:513–525

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Pringle DG, Walsh J (1999) Poor people, poor places: an introduction. In: Pringle DG, Walsh J, Hennessey M (eds) Poor people, poor places: a geography of poverty and deprivation in Ireland. Oak Tree Press, Dublin

  21. Ford T, Goodman R, Meltzer H (2004) The relative importance of child, family, school and neighbourhood correlates of childhood psychiatric disorder. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 39:487–496

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Rydell AM (2009) Family factors and children’s disruptive behaviour: an investigation of links between demographic characteristics, negative life events and symptoms of ODD and ADHD. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol

  23. Shanahan L, Copeland W, Costello EJ, Angold A (2008) Specificity of putative psychosocial risk factors for psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 49:34–42

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. McMahon SD, Grant KE, Compas BE (2003) Stress and psychopathology in children and adolescents: is there evidence of specificity? J Child Psychol Psychiatry 44:107–133

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Noble M, Wright G, Smith G, Dibben C (2006) Measuring multiple deprivation at the small area level. Environ Plan A 38:169–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Tiet QQ, Bird HR, Davies M et al (1998) Adverse life events and resilience. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 37:1191–1200

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Brand AH, Johnson JH (1982) Note on reliability of the life events checklist. Psychol Rep 50:1274

    Google Scholar 

  28. Coddington RD (1972) The significance of life events as etiologic factors in the diseases of children: I A survey of professional workers. J Psychosom Res 16:7–18

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Coddington RD (1972) The significance of life events as etiologic factors in the diseases of children: II A study of a normal population. J Psychosom Res 16:205–213

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Tiet QQ, Bird HR, Hoven CW et al (2001) Relationship between specific adverse life events and psychiatric disorders. J Abnorm Child Psychol 29:153–164

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Goodman R (1994) A modified version of the Rutter Parent Questionnaire including extra items on children’s strengths: a research note. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 35:1483–1494

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Goodman R (1997) The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: a research note. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 38:581–586

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Goodman R (2001) Psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 40:1337–1345

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Goodman R, Scott S (1999) Comparing the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Child Behavior Checklist: is small beautiful? J Abnorm Child Psychol 27:17–24

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Goodman R, Meltzer H, Bailey V (1998) The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: a pilot study on the validity of the self-report version. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 7:125–130

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Rutter MJ, Tizard J, Whitmore K (1970) Education, health and behaviour. Longman, London

    Google Scholar 

  37. Rodgers B, Pickles A, Power C, Collishaw S, Maughan B (1999) Validity of the Malaise Inventory in general population samples. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 34:333–341

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Frankenburg WK, Dodds JB (1967) Denver Developmental Screening Test. J Paediatr 71:181–191

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Carey W, McDevitt S (1978) Revision of the Infant Temperament Questionnaire. Pediatrics 61:735–739

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Carey W, McDevitt S (1995) Coping with children’s temperament: a guide for professionals. Basic Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  41. Elliott CD (1983) British Ability Scales. Manual 1. NFER-Nelson, Windsor, UK

  42. Bracken BA (1998) Bracken Basic Concept Scale-revised. The Psychological Corporation, Harcourt Brace and Company, San Antonio

  43. Goldstein H (2003) Multilevel statistical models, 3rd edn. Arnold, London

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

This program of research was supported by a grant from the British Academy.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Human Development, Institute of Education, University of London, 25 Woburn Square, London, WC1H 0AA, UK

    Eirini Flouri & Stella Mavroveli

  2. Social Statistics and Centre for Census and Survey Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Nikos Tzavidis

Authors
  1. Eirini Flouri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stella Mavroveli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nikos Tzavidis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eirini Flouri.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Flouri, E., Mavroveli, S. & Tzavidis, N. Modeling risks: effects of area deprivation, family socio-economic disadvantage and adverse life events on young children’s psychopathology. Soc Psychiat Epidemiol 45, 611–619 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0101-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0101-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation