Longitudinal prediction of early childhood mental health

Identifying early predictors of child mental health problems is of critical importance to reduce the burden of mental illness and increase access to early intervention. Behavior in early childhood can be highly variable, and thus repeated measurement of child behavior may capture unique information about a child’s functioning. Similarly, psychosocial influences can vary from day to day, so repeated measurement of parent-child interactions can provide better insight into children’s early experiences. In the current study, we rely on repeated measures of naturalistic child behavior and family dynamics captured at age 3 years, in order to explore predictors of mental health in early childhood.