BMJ  2003;327 (30 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7413.0-a

Relative age in the school year influences mental health

The younger children in a school year are at greater risk of psychiatric disorders than the older children. Using data from a large British survey of more than 10 000 children, Goodman and colleagues (p 472) show that being younger in a school year is associated with more emotional and behavioural problems, whether assessed by parent report, teacher report, self report, or clinical diagnosis. Cross national comparisons suggest that this effect arises from the disadvantages of immaturity rather than from seasonal variation in biological risk. Although the effect is weak at an individual level, the authors state that it could prove important at a public health level.

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Child psychiatric disorder and relative age within school year: cross sectional survey of large population sample

Robert Goodman, Julia Gledhill, and Tamsin Ford
BMJ 2003 327: 472. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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