UK children share risk for behavioural problems with US children

UK children share risk for behavioural problems with US children

By Margaret Rogers

According to a new study, children in the UK and children in the US share certain risk factors that increase the chances that they will develop behavioural problems.  The study further suggests that Britain has broader social welfare programmes that do not seem to be mitigating those risks.

The study was conducted by researchers from  North Caroline State University, California State University-Northridge, and University of Illinois.  The findings are published in the Journal of Health and Social Behaviour.

The researchers assessed data from a 1994 study of American children aged between 5 and 13 and a 1991 study of children of the same age from England, Scotland and Wales.  They found that in both the US and the UK male children with divorced mothers and children with health problems were more likely to have behavioural problems.

‘We also found that stronger home environments, those that are intellectually stimulating, nurturing and physically safe, decrease the likelihood of behaviour problems in both the US and Great Britain’ said Dr Toby Parcel, the lead author of the study. ‘We wanted to see whether the role of parents was equally important in both societies because the argument has been made that more developed welfare states, such as Great Britain, can make the role of parents less important by providing additional supports that can help compensate for situations where households have more limited resources.’

Parcel added ‘This study tells us that parents are important in households, regardless of the strength of the welfare state.’

Although there are common risk factors for both the children in the UK and in the US, there are also some differences.  The study suggests that the structure of a family had more impact on the children in the UK.  Family structure, in this case, refers to the size of the family and marital status.  A child from the UK who had multiple siblings and a single mother was at a greater risk of having behavioural problems.  Another finding was that in Britain, the more children in a family, the higher the likelihood of a child of that family having behavioural problems.  This effect was not present in the US.

The study authors suggest that, in both countries, parents are vital to the creation of a strong home environment.