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Depression and Anxiety Affect Many Preschoolers

Signs of depression may occur earlier than scientists have previously thought. A new study shows that up to 15 percent of children under age five have atypically high levels of depression and anxiety, with predictors of these symptoms appearing before a child's first birthday.

The five-year study by researchers from France, Canada and the U. S. involved a series of interviews and behavior observations on 1,758 children and their mothers. It revealed that depression in mothers is the second strongest predictor of childhood depression and anxiety. Shockingly, the first was the child's temperament at just five months.

ABSTRACT: Depression and anxiety symptoms: onset, developmental course and risk factors during early childhood