Difficult toddler temperament – Prevalence and associated factors at 18-month follow-up of a birth cohort

Abstract

Background A difficult temperament, when coupled with other risk factors, may lead to mental health problems in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of parental perception of difficult temperament in toddlers in a population cohort and identify associated individual and family-level socio-demographic risk factors. Methods The prevalence of parental perception of difficult temperament was derived from items in the 18-month follow-up questionnaire within the Watch Me Grow (WMG) longitudinal birth cohort study in a multicultural and socioeconomically disadvantaged community in Sydney, Australia. Data was available for 500 children and their parents. Primary analysis included multivariate logistic regression to assess significant risk factors associated with a difficult temperament. Results Parental perception of difficult temperament in the cohort was 7.3% (n = 492). Findings of the multivariate logistic regression showed that screen time > 2 hours a day (AOR 2.43, 95% CI: 1.2, 4.9), child not being read to (AOR 3.92, 95% CI: 1.8, 8.5), and family history of mental health problems (AOR 2.69, 95% CI: 1.1, 6.5) significantly increased the odds of having a difficult temperament. Conclusions Toddlers with a difficult temperament were less likely to have received stimulatory experiences and their families were more likely to be under greater stress. The findings emphasise the importance of parental support and anticipatory guidance in promoting nurturing care to facilitate child health and development, particularly in disadvantaged communities.