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Life events and behavioural deviances in childhood: A longitudinal study of a normal population

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Abstract

A semi-structured interview based upon Coddington's life event questionnaire was revised and modified to measure life changes in children of possible importance for the development of physical and mental illness. A normal population of 193 children was investigated in 1981–83 and followed up after six years. The life events during the intervening period are described and correlated to child behavioural symptom load and family function before and after. Both the life event load and the adjustment ability of the child make significant contributions to the prediction of child disturbance in the follow-up.

Résumé

Un entretien semi-structuré basé sur le questionnaire des événements de vie de Coddington a été révisé et modifié afin de mesurer les changements de vie chez les enfants ayant une impotence probable dans le développement des maladies physiques et mentales. On a examiné entre 1981 et 1983 une population normale de 193 enfants qui a aussi été suivie pendant les six années suivantes. Les événements de vie qui se passent dans les années intermédiaires sont décrits et corrélés au poids du symptôme comportemental de l'enfant et au fonctionnement familial avant et après. A la fois le poids des événements de vie et la capacité de l'enfant pour s'adapter apportent des contributions significatives à la prédiction de troubles de l'enfant dans le suivi.

Zusammenfassung

Ein semistrukturiertes Interview, das auf dem Coddingtons's Life Event Fragebogen basiert, wurde überarbeitet und modifiziert, um bei Kindern Lebensveränderungen zu messen, die möglicherweise für die Entwicklung von körperlichen und psychischen Erkrankungen von Bedeutung sind. Eine normale Population, die 193 Kinder umfaßte, wurde zwischen 1981 und 1983 untersucht und nach 6 Jahren nachuntersucht. Die life events während der Zwischenperiode werden beschrieben und zu den Verhaltensauffälligkeiten und der familiären Situation vor und nach diesen Lebensereignissen in Bezug gesetzt. Sowohl die Summe der life events als auch die Anpassungsfähigkeit der Kinder haben einen signifikanten Einfluß im Hinblick auf die Voraussage von kindlichen Störungen zum Nachuntersuchungszeitpunkt.

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Höök, B., Hägglöf, B. & Thernlund, G. Life events and behavioural deviances in childhood: A longitudinal study of a normal population. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 4, 153–164 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01980454

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