The type of research initiated through my Department's National Children's Research Programme and, in particular through the National Longitudinal Study of Children —Growing Up in Ireland — is providing us with a wealth of valuable data on all aspects of children’s development, including their psychological development.
Since 2006, Growing Up in Ireland has been following the development of almost 20,000 children in Ireland across two cohorts: an infant cohort recruited at nine-months; and a child cohort recruited at nine years. The infant cohort children (with their families) have been interviewed at 9 months, 3 years of age and further interviews are planned in 2013 when these children make the critical transition to primary schooling (at 5 years of age). The child cohort children (also with their families) have been interviewed at 9 and 13 years of age.
It is generally accepted that many causes of poor psychological outcomes in both adolescence and adulthood can be traced back to early childhood. By capturing data on these children in early childhood and following their development over time, we will have a better understanding how, why and when these children experience and/or overcome psychological difficulties.
A series of Growing Up in Ireland reports have already been published, one of which focuses specifically on children’s psychological development. This report shows that the majority of nine-year-olds in Ireland are developing well without any significant problems in this area of their lives. It also found that however, one in five nine-year-olds have been classified as showing significant levels of emotional or behavioural difficulties and that certain characteristics of the child (e.g. the presence of a chronic illness) and other factors (e.g. economic deprivation, maternal depression, neglectful parenting style and conflict in the home) make children more vulnerable than others. Clearly these data have the potential to inform policy and practice regarding children and their families thus ensuring that policies, services and interventions are targeted, practical and effective.
