Continuous admission to primary school and mental health problems

Younger children in a school class have higher rates of mental health problems if admission to primary school occurs once a year. This study examines whether this relative age effect also occurs if children are admitted to school continuously throughout the year. We assessed mental health problems b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC public health 2006-06, Vol.6 (1), p.145-145, Article 145
Main Authors: Reijneveld, Sijmen A, Wiefferink, Carin H, Brugman, Emily, Verhulst, Frank C, Verloove-Vanhorick, S Pauline, Paulussen, Theo G W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Age Factors
Child
Child Behavior Disorders - epidemiology
Child Behavior Disorders - prevention & control
Child Welfare - statistics & numerical data
Child, Preschool
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Mental Disorders - epidemiology
Mental Disorders - prevention & control
Netherlands - epidemiology
Prevalence
Public Policy
Risk Factors
School Admission Criteria
Schools - legislation & jurisprudence
Time Factors
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Summary:Younger children in a school class have higher rates of mental health problems if admission to primary school occurs once a year. This study examines whether this relative age effect also occurs if children are admitted to school continuously throughout the year. We assessed mental health problems based on parent-reports (using the Child Behavior Checklist, CBCL) and on professional assessments, among two Dutch national samples of in total 12,221 children aged 5-15 years (response rate: 86.9%). At ages 5-6, we found a higher occurrence of mental health problems in relatively young children, both for mean CBCL scores (p = 0.017) and for problems assessed by child health professionals (p < 0.0001). At ages 7-15, differences by relative age did not reach statistical significance. Continuous admission to primary school does not prevent mental health problems among young children, but may do so at older ages. Its potential for the prevention of mental problems deserves further study.
ISSN:1471-2458
1471-2458
DOI:10.1186/1471-2458-6-145