Long-term consequences of mental health problems and socio-economic vulnerability among preschool children
Mental health problems in children are manifested during the preschool years as emotional and behavioral problems. If these problems persist, they can lead to negative consequences later in life, such as morbidity, poor school performance and healthcare utilization. Socio-economic deprivation is a risk factor for negative outcomes and also affects mental health problems.
Details
- Period: 2022-01-01 – 2025-12-31
- Funder: Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare
- Type of funding: Junior Researcher Grant
Description
Mental health problems in children are manifested during the preschool years as emotional and behavioral problems. If these problems persist, they can lead to negative consequences later in life, such as morbidity, poor school performance and healthcare utilization. Socio-economic deprivation is a risk factor for negative outcomes and also affects mental health problems. However, there is a lack of knowledge on how mental health problems and socioeconomic deprivation, both at the preschool-level and individual level, interact and affect the long-term outcomes in preschool children in Sweden.
The purpose of the project is to investigate how mental health problems and socioeconomic deprivation interact and affect preschool children in terms of somatic and psychiatric conditions, poor school performance, healthcare utilization and healthcare-related costs. The project is a follow-up of the study Focus and includes about 7400 children, 3-5 years, in Uppsala. Data is collected from high quality Swedish registers when the children are 12-15 years old and healthcare-related costs will be estimated.
Project team:
Natalie Durbeej, Helena Fabian, Anna Sarkadi, Raziye Salari, Anton Dahlberg, Richard Ssegonja and Sergio Flores.
Contact
For more information about the project, please contact Natalie Durbeej.
Publications
Dahlén J, Dahlberg A, Fabian H, Durbeej N (2026) Associations between
early emotional and behavioral problems and subsequent mental disorders in children – Findings from a Swedish cohort study. PLoS
One 21(1): e0338866. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0338866
Nahar SN, Fäldt A, Dahlberg A, Durbeej N (2025) Preschool children of
parents who screen positive for mental health problems have an increased risk of subsequent mental disorders: Findings from a longitudinal follow-up study in Sweden. PLoS ONE 20(3): e0318971. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0318971
Ashok P, Fäldt A, Dahlberg A, Durbeej N (2024) Early emotional and behavioural problems predict use of habilitation services among children: Findings from a longitudinal follow-up study. PLoS
ONE 19(5): e0303685. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0303685