Muschalla Beate, Job Ann-Katrin, Schulz Wolfgang
Psychotherapy and Diagnostics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.
Institute of Psychology, University of Kassel, 34127 Kassel, Germany.
Children (Basel). 2025 Apr 15;12(4):506. doi: 10.3390/children12040506.
: Developmental research has shown that mental health and functioning is determined by social background and child and family characteristics. Until now, there have been few longitudinal studies which considered several aspects at the same time and observed children's development over ten or more years. : The aim of this 18-year-longitudinal study is to find out to which degree different child, family, and socioeconomic factors during early childhood (4 years of age) are associated with educational and professional outcomes in young adulthood (22 years of age). Of the initial sample of 280 participating families, 225 could again be investigated with standardized interviews and questionnaires at the 18 years follow-up (retention rate: 80%). : Educational degree of the parents was predictive of the child's school success ( = -0.267, < 0.001, in regression analysis). Maternal mental health ( = -0.005, = 0.953), parenting behavior ( = -021, = 0.782), and early child mental health problems ( = 0.071, = 0.551) only had a low impact. The child's sex did not predict school success. Better early learned skills (i.e., crystalline intelligence), but not cognitive skills, as measured by the child-specific intelligence test K-ABC, made children more likely to achieve good school-leaving grades ( = -0.240, = 0.008). Children's early mental health problems had no relevant impact on school degree ( = 0.00, = 0.934/ = 0.02, = 0.52 3) or professional status ( = 0.04, = 0.157/ = -0.02, = 0.299) at age 22. : Besides the not-changeable parental education level, (learnable) competency aspects may be more predictive of a child's educational success until young adulthood than earlier mental health problems in parents and children. This is good news as it supports the idea that mental health deficits can be compensated for through learning and competency training.
发展研究表明，心理健康和机能由社会背景以及儿童和家庭特征决定。到目前为止，很少有纵向研究能同时考虑多个方面并观察儿童十年或更长时间的发展情况。
这项为期18年的纵向研究旨在查明儿童早期（4岁）不同的儿童、家庭和社会经济因素在何种程度上与青年期（22岁）的教育和职业成果相关。在最初参与的280个家庭样本中，225个家庭在18年随访时能够再次接受标准化访谈和问卷调查（保留率：80%）。
父母的教育程度可预测孩子在学业上的成功（在回归分析中，β = -0.267，p < 0.001）。母亲的心理健康状况（β = -0.005，p = 0.953）、育儿行为（β = -0.21，p = 0.782）以及儿童早期的心理健康问题（β = 0.071，p = 0.551）影响较小。孩子的性别并不能预测学业上的成功。通过儿童专用智力测试K - ABC测量，早期习得的更好技能（即晶体智力）而非认知技能，使孩子更有可能取得良好的毕业成绩（β = -0.240，p = 0.008）。儿童早期的心理健康问题对22岁时的学历（β = 0.00，p = 0.934/β = 0.02，p = 0.523）或职业地位（β = 0.04，p = 0.157/β = -0.02，p = 0.299）没有显著影响。
除了不可改变 的父母教育水平外，（可习得的）能力方面可能比父母和孩子早期的心理健康问题更能预测孩子直到青年期的教育成功。这是个好消息，因为它支持了心理健康缺陷可以通过学习和能力训练得到弥补的观点。
