NEUROMOTOR FUNCTIONING AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN AT RISK FOR PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

Previous studies have found that early neuromotor deficits may be a pr ecursor of later psychopathology. The present study examined the relat ionship between neuromotor dysfunction and behavioral deviance in chil dren characterized by a variety of risk factors (parental schizophreni a, parental psychiatric disorder other than schizophrenia, and parenta l maltreatment). The sample consisted of 108 children (average age 9.7 5 years) who were assessed twice, approximately 1 year apart. It was f ound that maltreated children had poorer neuromotor functioning and mo re behavior problems than children who were not maltreated, regardless of parental psychiatric status. The results also indicated that the r elationship between neuromotor functioning and problem behaviors varie d as a function of parental psychiatric status. These findings suggest that, although the effects of maltreatment are generalized and pervas ive, there are distinctive relationships between neuromotor functionin g and behavioral deviance depending on the nature of the risk factors a child has been exposed to.