Abstract

A study was undertaken concerning prevalence of psychic disorders among 175-5 to 6-year-old, pre-school children randomly selected from the general population in the municipality of Aarhus and the island Samsø of Aarhus County, Denmark. Deviant behaviour was arbitrarily defined, with a symptom considered aberrant if it occurred in 10% or less of the children studied. Mental health of the children was assessed by (a) the number of deviant symptoms, (b) opinions of the parents and (c) the personal assessment of the author, who interviewed all the families. Thirty-five probands (20%) showed good adjustment, 113 (65%) were coping well with only minor symptoms, and 27 children (15%) were poorly adjusted. A high prevalence of psychosomatic, behavioural, and emotional symptoms was observed, some of them more frequently among boys than girls. No significant difference was found between urban and rural children. The need for psychiatric help even among supposedly normal, pre-school children is discussed and emphasized.