Hyperactive Behaviors Among 17-Month-Olds in a Population-Based Cohort

ABSTRACT During a child's early years, it may be difficult to distinguish between problematic versus normative heightened motor activity. This distinction is important because disorganized heightened motor activity (often labeled hyperactive behavior) can interfere with early childhood developmental tasks. The current study used latent class analyses to estimate the proportion of 17‐month‐olds in the general population who exhibit hyperactive behaviors on a frequent basis (testing for sex differences) and to examine the extent to which toddlers with frequent hyperactive behaviors also might be frequently exhibiting other problem behaviors. We used mother‐reported cross‐sectional data on 2,045 toddlers from a provincially representative study. Results indicated that it is possible to distinguish between 17‐month‐olds who exhibit hyperactive behaviors on a frequent basis and those who never or only occasionally exhibit such behaviors. Specifically, 28.1% of toddlers exhibited hyperactive behaviors on a frequent basis. There were no significant sex differences in the probability of belonging to a particular latent class, but boys in the high‐hyperactivity latent class had a greater propensity to exhibit hyperactive behaviors on a frequent basis. While hyperactivity was highly correlated with both physical aggression and opposition‐defiance, it appears to already represent a distinct behavior problem in young children. Durante los primeros años de un niño, puede ser difícil distinguir entre la actividad motora mayor problemática versus normativa. Esta distinción es importante ya que la desorganizada actividad motora mayor (a menudo conocida como conducta hiperactiva) pudiera interferir con las tareas de desarrollo en la temprana niñez. El presente estudio usa un análisis de clase latente para estimar la proporción de niños de 17 meses en la población general que presentan conductas hiperactivas de manera frecuente (examinando diferencias de sexo) y examina hasta dónde los infantes con frecuentes conductas hiperactivas pudieran también estar mostrando otras conductas problemáticas. Utilizamos información transversal reportada por las madres en el caso de 2,045 infantes en un estudio provincialmente representativo. Los resultados indicaron que es posible distinguir entre infantes de 17 meses que presentan conductas hiperactivas de manera frecuente y aquellos que nunca, o sólo ocasionalmente, presentan esas conductas. Específicamente, 28.1% de los infantes mostra