The influence of unsupervised time on elementary school children at high risk for inattention and problem behaviors.

Abstract

In the last few decades, changing socioeconomic and family structures have

increasingly left children alone without adult supervision. Carefully prepared

and limited periods of unsupervised time are not harmful for children. However,

long unsupervised periods have harmful effects, particularly for those children

at high risk for inattention and problem behaviors. In this study, we examined

the influence of unsupervised time on behavior problems by studying a sample of

elementary school children at high risk for inattention and problem behaviors.

The study analyzed data from the Children's Mental Health Promotion Project,

which was conducted in collaboration with education, government, and mental

health professionals. The child behavior checklist (CBCL) was administered to

assess problem behaviors among first- and fourth-grade children. Multivariate

logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the influence of unsupervised

time on children's behavior. A total of 3,270 elementary school children (1,340

first-graders and 1,930 fourth-graders) were available for this study; 1,876 of

the 3,270 children (57.4%) reportedly spent a significant amount of time

unsupervised during the day. Unsupervised time that exceeded more than 2h per day

increased the risk of delinquency, aggressive behaviors, and somatic complaints,

as well as externalizing and internalizing problems. Carefully planned

afterschool programming and care should be provided to children at high risk for

inattention and problem behaviors. Also, a more comprehensive approach is needed

to identify the possible mechanisms by which unsupervised time aggravates

behavior problems in children predisposed for these behaviors.