Problematic behaviours of 3-year-old children in Japan: relationship with socioeconomic and family backgrounds.

Aim: The purpose of our study was to elucidate factors in socioeconomic and family backgrounds of 3-year-old children in Tokyo, Japan that were associated with problematic behaviours among the children.

Study Design: 670 eligible 3-year-old children underwent an evaluation of problematic behaviour by the Japanese Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL/2-3) and of socioeconomic and family backgrounds.

Results: Stepwise multi-logistic regression analyses using all 28 variables showed that longer hours watching TV, smoking during pregnancy, coffee drinking during and after pregnancy increased, whereas higher family income, a larger number of older brothers/sisters, higher educational level of father decreased problematic behaviours. Maternal anxiety measured by trait anxiety using the STAI was associated with behaviour problems measured by CBCL, particularly with externalizing domains composed by aggressiveness, oppositional and attention domains.

Conclusion: These results suggest that problematic behaviours among children may be increased by adverse socioeconomic and family backgrounds that may be associated with maternal anxiety.