Association between warning signs of psychological and behavioral development problems with emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children
10.16835/j.cnki.1000-9817.2026160
- VernacularTitle:学龄前儿童心理行为发育问题预警征与情绪行为问题的关联
- Author:
LUO Meifang, SONG Qiying, ZHAO Xiaoli, GUO Yuqin, ZOU Li
1
Author Information
1. Department of Child Healthcare, Shenzhen Bao an Women and Childrens Hospital, Shenzhen 518100, Guangdong Province, China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Mental health;
Behavior;
Emotions;
Regression analysis;
Child,preschool
- From:
Chinese Journal of School Health
2026;47(5):661-665
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To explore the association between warning signs of psychological and behavioral development problems with emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children in Bao an District, Shenzhen, so as to provide an empirical basis for optimizing psychological screening strategies in kindergartens.
Methods:From September 2023 to August 2024, a total of 49 804 preschool children aged 4-6 years from all 401 kindergartens in Bao an District were enrolled as study subjects. The Warning Signs Checklist for Screening Psychological, Behavioral and Developmental Problems of Children and the parent version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were used to assess children s developmental status and emotional and behavioral problems, respectively. Multivariable Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between warning signs and emotional and behavioral problems, stratified by sex.
Results:The overall positive screening rate for developmental warning signs was 1.5%, and the detection rate for high risk in the SDQ total difficulties score was 6.3%. Multivariable Logistic regression analysis revealed that after adjusting for age, children who screened positive for warning signs exhibited a significantly higher risk of elevated SDQ total difficulties and subscale scores compared to those who screened negative, across both sexes (a OR boys =1.66-13.42, a OR girls =2.04-22.15, all P <0.01). The only exceptions were gross motor skills and conduct problems in boys, and personal social skills and conduct problems in girls. Notably, abnormalities in the personal social domain demonstrated the strongest association with emotional/behavioral problems (a OR boys =7.72-13.42, a OR girls =3.88-22.15), followed by the language domain (a OR boys =4.63-9.23, a OR girls =3.78-14.41) (all P <0.01).
Conclusion:A positive screening result for warning signs, particularly in the personal social and language domains, serves as a strong indicator of emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children.
