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The Clustering of Severe Behavioural, Health and Educational Deficits in Canadian Children: Preliminary Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth

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Abstract

This study identifies a high-risk subpopulation of children with a markedly antisocial behavioural profile in a national sample of Canadian children. We examine a broad array of environmental and child factors that may be associated with this high-risk group. The data are for 18,135 two to eleven year olds in the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. A cluster analysis was performed to identify children possessing extreme antisocial behaviour across five dimensions: aggression, hyperactivity, prosocial behaviour, emotional difficulties and misconduct. Clusters were compared across structural, family, school, neighbourhood, and health covariates. Membership in this severe cluster is associated with material disadvantage across the range of environmental factors as well as significant deficits in child health and education.

Résumé

Cette étude identifie une sous-population d’enfants à risque élevé, présentant un profil de comportement antisocial très net, au sein d’un échantillon national d’enfants canadiens. On y examine un large éventail de facteurs propres à l’environnement et à l’enfance qui pourraient être associés à ce groupe à risque élevé. Les données proviennent de l’Enquête nationale longitudinale sur les enfants et les adolescents et portent sur 18 135 d’entre eux, âgés de deux à onze ans. On a procédé à une analyse typologique pour identifier les enfants manifestant un comportement antisocial extrême portant sur cinq dimensions: agression, hyperactivité, comportement prosocial, difficultés émotives et inconduite. Les groupes ont été comparés en fonction de covariables relatives à la structure, à la famille, à l’école, au voisinage et à la santé. L’appartenance à cette sous-population très problématique est associée aux désavantages matériels pour toute la gamme des facteurs environnants ainsi qu’à de graves déficiences aux plans de la santé et de l’éducation des enfants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Psychiatry and Community Health Sciences, The University of Calgary, Canada

    Terrance J. Wade PhD

  2. Institute for Social and Economic Research, The University of Essex, England

    David J. Pevalin MA

  3. Department of Sociology, The University of Calgary, Canada

    Augustine Brannigan PhD

  4. Regional Clinical Department of Psychiatry, Calgary Regional Health Authority, Canada

    Terrance J. Wade PhD

  5. The Calgary World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health, Canada

    Terrance J. Wade PhD

Authors
  1. Terrance J. Wade PhD
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  2. David J. Pevalin MA
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  3. Augustine Brannigan PhD
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Additional information

Support for this research was provided, in part, by grant # 410-98-0539 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRCC).

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Wade, T.J., Pevalin, D.J. & Brannigan, A. The Clustering of Severe Behavioural, Health and Educational Deficits in Canadian Children: Preliminary Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Can J Public Health 90, 253–259 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404127

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404127

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