CHILDREN OF MOTHERS WHO ARE AT PSYCHOSOCIAL RISK - MENTAL-HEALTH, BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS AND INCIDENCE OF CHILD-ABUSE AT AGE 8 YEARS

Of the 1575 pregnant women registered at the public Antenatal Health C are Service in the city of Linkoping, Sweden, during 1983, an index-gr oup of 78 women were identified who met specific well-defined psychoso cial risk-criteria related to drug addiction, mental insufficiency, an d particular social circumstances of possible relevance to problems of pregnancy and early child development. Seventy-eight pregnant women w ho did not meet the inclusion criteria were used as a reference group. The present study was an 8-year follow up in which 47 of the original index children and 57 of the original reference children were examine d on indices of mental health, and the presence of child abuse, Their mental health was assessed on the basis of a Symptom and Behaviour Int erview (SBI) with the mother and a Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) co mpleted by the mothers and the teachers. The incidence of child abuse was obtained from Social Welfare records. The index children displayed significantly poorer mental health as assessed by the SBI and the CBC L, had a more negative self-image, and child abuse had been investigat ed in 30% of the index families compared to 1% in the reference famili es. The study suggests, based on the suboptimal development of the ris k children, that screening for early psychosocial risk factors should be done routinely and be combined with early interventions.