Premium
Mapping area variability in social and behavioural difficulties among G lasgow pre‐schoolers: linkage of a survey of pre‐school staff with routine monitoring data
Author(s) -
Barry S. J. E.,
Marryat L.,
Thompson L.,
Ellaway A.,
White J.,
McClung M.,
Wilson P.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
child: care, health and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2214
pISSN - 0305-1862
DOI - 10.1111/cch.12237
Subject(s) - residence , demographics , neighbourhood (mathematics) , psychology , demography , social deprivation , general partnership , medicine , gerontology , sociology , mathematical analysis , mathematics , finance , economics , economic growth
Background Social, emotional and behavioural development in early to middle childhood impact upon many outcomes in future life and are influenced by home, neighbourhood and school environments. We used linked data to investigate differences between areas in G lasgow C ity in level of difficulties in pre‐school age children, after consideration of demographics, including area‐level deprivation. Methods Pre‐school education staff completed S trengths and D ifficulties Q uestionnaires ( SDQ ) on all children progressing to school from a local authority or partnership (local authority‐funded private) pre‐school in G lasgow C ity between 2010 and 2012. These data were linked to individual (age, gender) and area‐level (deprivation) demographics from the C ity C ouncil E ducation S ervices D epartment. Statistical models were fitted to the SDQ scores, adjusting for age, gender, area deprivation, year of school entry, pre‐school establishment attended and electoral ward of residence. Correlation between neighbouring wards was incorporated to allow for clustering of scores. Results Boys and those living in more deprived areas had higher levels of difficulties. Children aged 5.0–5.5 years had fewest difficulties, while the oldest and youngest children had similar levels of difficulties. There were no significant secular trends by year of school entry. There remained differences among areas after adjusting for these variables, with children living in some areas having fewer difficulties than would be expected based on their socio‐demographic characteristics. Conclusions There remained differences in children's levels of difficulties between areas after adjusting for age, gender, area deprivation and year of school entry. Children in some very deprived areas had fewer difficulties than might be expected, while those in relatively affluent areas had more difficulties than expected based on their deprivation level. There may be other, unmeasured, individual‐ and area‐level reasons for children's level of difficulties, and these require further exploration.