BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS AND PREGNANCY AND BIRTH COMPLICATION HISTORIES IN PSYCHOLOGICALLY DISTURBED CHILDREN

Abstract

The relationship between current, disturbed behavior patterns and histories of pregnancy and birth complications (PBCs) were studied in 61 children (mean age, 8.6 years) under treatment for behavioral or psychiatric disturbance. The hospital birth and neonatal records of the subjects were blindly evaluated, with independent interobserver agreement consistently at 95 per cent. Behavior ratings by treatment center workers were factor analyzed, yielding three factors called Psychotic Withdrawal, Acting-out-Aggression and Organic Signs. No significant relationships were found between type of current behavior patterns and PBC histories. Premature subjects were highly similar to nonpremature subjects in behavioral characteristics. These results were interpreted primarily as supporting a hypothesis of nonspecific effects or a range of effects of PBCs within psychological disturbance during childhood. Postbirth, familial factors might be implicated for acting-out-aggressive children, since Acting- out-Aggression was the outstanding characteristic of children born to unmarried rather than married mothers.