The Wirral Child Health and Development Study

幼儿的行为问题很常见，占英国社区儿童和家庭心理健康服务机构转介的一半。最令人担忧的是，有明确证据表明，如果没有干预，学龄前和小学时期明显的行为问题强烈预示着成年后会出现严重的反社会行为、心理健康不良和人际问题。对行为问题的可能原因及其后果的研究并没有集中在最早的起源上，从产前开始。威拉尔儿童健康和发展研究旨在改进以前的纵向研究，试图确定(I)增加日后儿童行为问题发展风险的产前和产后应激源，以及(Ii)婴儿及其家庭在面对压力时提高韧性的过程。我们将跟踪1500个家庭期待他们的第一个孩子的进展，采取简单的措施，直到他们的孩子一岁大。约300名母亲和婴儿的子样本也将被要求完成详细的访谈和母婴测量，直到他们一岁生日。我们随后计划将它们贯穿整个童年和成年生活。从怀孕开始，我们的目标是确定最重要的早期社会、心理和生物风险和保护因素，以便我们能够了解和制定适当的早期治疗干预/治疗措施，以帮助未来的家庭。

Behaviour problems in young children are common and account for half the referrals to community Child and Family Mental Health services in the UK. Most worryingly, there is clear evidence that without intervention behaviour problems evident in the preschool and primary school years are strongly predictive of serious antisocial behaviours, poor mental health and interpersonal problems in adulthood. Research on the possible causes of behaviour problems and their consequences has not focussed on the very earliest origins starting in the ante-natal period. The Wirral Child Health and Development study aims to improve on previous longitudinal research by trying to identify (i) antenatal and postnatal stressors that increase risk for the development of later child behaviour problems and (ii) processes in infants and their families that promote resilience in the face of stress. We will follow the progress of 1500 families expecting their first baby with brief measures until their baby reaches one year old. A sub-sample of about 300 mothers and babies will also be asked to complete detailed interview and mother-infant measures up to their first birthdays. We subsequently plan to follow them through childhood and into adult life. Starting in pregnancy, we aim to identify the most important early social, psychological and biological risk and protective factors so that we can inform and develop appropriate early therapeutic interventions/treatments to help families in future.