CHILDREN OF PSYCHOSOCIAL RISK-MOTHERS - LIFE EVENTS, SOCIAL-INTERACTION, AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS AT THE AGE OF 8 YEARS

The number of stressful life events experienced as measured on the mod ified Swedish version of Coddington's questionnaire, and the presence of behaviour problems assessed by Achenbach's Child Behavior Check Lis t (CBCL) were studied in 45 eight-year-old children of identified psyc hosocial risk-mothers. The mothers' social network was estimated using the Swedish version of Unden and Orth-Gomer's Interview Schedule for Social Interaction (ISSI). These mothers had been identified during ea rly pregnancy. A control group of 57 children of the same age and thei r mothers without the presence of psychosocial risk-criteria was used as reference. The results indicated that the index children had experi enced significantly more life events, and displayed significantly more behaviour problems than the reference children. The mothers in the in dex group had a significantly poorer social network than the mothers i n the reference group. The study suggests that children of mothers, id entified early on psychosocial risk criteria develop suboptimally. The refore, early interventions are of great importance.