Detailed contribution information
| Contribution title | Temperament & early mental disorders: Temperamental features of infants and toddlers with excessive crying/sleeping/eating disorders |
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| Contribution code | D1.093 |
| Authors | |
| Form of presentation | Poster |
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| Abstract |
Aims: Excessive crying, sleeping, and eating disorders are among the most prevalent mental health diagnoses in the first 3 years of life. Certain temperamental traits, and specifically negative affect, have been associated with a higher risk of problem behaviors and mental disorders. Children high in negative affectivity are difficult to soothe and easily frustrated, and thus respond with intense emotional reactions and have problems with adapting to new environments. The aim of the present study is to investigate the temperamental profile of infants/toddlers with excessive crying/sleeping/eating disorders. We suppose that temperamental negative affect is positively associated with a) the number of DC:0-5 disorders as well as b) symptom severity (assessed via parent questionnaire). As an exploratory question, we further aim to investigate whether infants/toddlers who have been diagnosed with crying/sleeping/eating disorders have a similar temperamental profile or whether they differ depending on a distinct diagnosis. Methods: Our sample consists of N = 160 infants and toddlers (aged 0-36 months), who were patients in a socio-paediatric clinic in Southern Germany, and were diagnosed with excessive crying, sleeping and/or eating disorders according to DC:0-5. Symptom severity was assessed using The Questionnaire for Crying, Feeding, and Sleeping (CFS; German Version). Temperament was assessed via the IBQ-R very short version (0-17 months)/, respectively the ECBQ very short version (18-36 months). Results and Conclusions: Due to ongoing data collection, results cannot be reported yet. Our findings will be discussed in terms of implications for parenting as well as early intervention. |