CCC2000 has a particular focus on how mental health problems manifest early in childhood and whether it is possible to identify specific areas that can be targeted for prevention and what potential there is in the existing healthcare in the municipalities.
The study of mental health in children under 3 years old is a new field of research and CCC2000 has been at the forefront of international research exploring mental health problems in young children from the general population. CCC2000 has developed a standardized recording of health visitors' examinations in the first year of life, which has made it possible to map growth, development and mental function in 0-1-year-old children with a participation rate of over 90%. The results show that eating and sleeping problems are the most common problems, developmental problems occur in 6%, and problems with the parent-child relationship in 8%.
As the first study in the world, the CCC2000 examined the full range of mental health difficulties in children aged 1 ½ years. The studies were conducted by experienced clinicians using a range of standardized methods including parent interviews and tests of motor skills, language, attention, concentration, contact and social interaction, emotional regulation and attachment behavior.
The results show that 16% have mental health difficulties corresponding to internationally used diagnostic criteria, with around 7% having neurodevelopmental disorders, including delayed general development, autism spectrum disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD.
The research results show that health visitors' surveys of 0-1 year olds can be used as a starting point for identifying toddlers at risk of mental disorders at 1½ years.
Studies of 5-7 year olds show that Danish children do relatively well during this period, in line with children from other Nordic countries. However, there is a group of children with significant mental health difficulties around the time they start school, and the research results show that for these children there is a correlation between having problems with contact, communication, attention, activity and language development in the first year of life and an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders and ADHD at 5-7 years.
The results also show that children with mental health problems at school entry have an increased risk of being diagnosed with ADHD later in school.
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Main research leader: Anne Mette Skovgaard