The association between crowding within households and behavioural problems in children: Longitudinal data from the Southampton Women’s Survey

Abstract

Background In England, nearly one child in ten lives in overcrowded housing. Crowding is likely to worsen with increasing population size, urbanisation, and the ongoing concerns about housing shortages. Children with behavioural difficulties are at increased risk of mental and physical health problems and poorer employment prospects. Objective To test the association between the level of crowding in the home and behavioural problems in children, and to explore what factors might explain the relationship. Methods Mothers of 2576 children from the Southampton Women's Survey population‐based mother‐offspring cohort were interviewed. Crowding was measured at age 2 years by people per room (PPR) and behavioural problems assessed at age 3 years with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Both were analysed as continuous measures, and multivariable linear regression models were fitted, adjusting for confounding factors: gender, age, single‐parent family, maternal education, receipt of benefits, and social class. Potential mediators were assessed with formal mediation analysis. Results The characteristics of the sample were broadly representative of the population in England. Median (IQR) SDQ score was 9 (6‐12) and PPR was 0.75 (0.6‐1). In households that were more crowded, children tended to have more behavioural problems (by 0.20 SDQ points (95% CI 0.08, 0.32) per additional 0.2 PPR, adjusting for confounding factors). This relationship was partially mediated by greater maternal stress, less sleep, and strained parent‐child interactions. Conclusions Living in a more crowded home was associated with a greater risk of behavioural problems, independent of confounding factors. The findings suggest that improved housing might reduce childhood behavioural problems and that families living in crowded circumstances might benefit from greater support.

Emotional and Behavioral Problems among Egyptian Children and Adolescents During COVID-19 Lockdown

“…The school has an important role in the child's life and online school programs not only deliver educational material and encourage physical activities, appropriate diet, and good sleep habits but also offer an opportunity for students to interact with teachers and classmates and obtain psychological counseling which can affect their mental health positively. 6 Despite the negative effect of low socioeconomic level 27,32,33 and overcrowded house 34 on children mental health that has been proved in several studies, they did not significantly affect the risk of emotional/behavioral problems in the present study. However, father education was associated with total difficulties, emotional and conduct problems and mother education affected peer problems.…”

Sharing indoor space: stakeholders’ perspectives and energy metrics

“…On the other hand, using space more intensively could lead to significant drawbacks. Issues related to overcrowding have been investigated in the previous literature (Evans 2003;Fuller et al 1996;Marsh et al 2019;Solari & Mare 2012), but overcrowding was never mentioned as a problem in the cases we studied.…”

“…The advantages of space sharing include access to affordable high-quality premises, reduced isolation and strong social networks (Lietaert 2010;Lubik & Kosatsky 2019;Wang & Hadjri 2018;Williams 2005b). Drawbacks can include overcrowding, stress and psychological distress (Evans 2003;Fuller et al 1996;Marsh et al 2019;Solari & Mare 2012). There is also a risk that space sharing leads to homogeneous communities in terms of affluence, ethnicity, opinions, etc.…”

The crowding of social distancing: How social context and interpersonal connections affect individual responses to the coronavirus*

“…Social crowding, a violation of personal space stemming from proximity to others, has been frequently associated with higher levels of stress, anxiety, and hostility (Maeng, Tanner, and Soman 2013;Schaeffer and Patterson 1980;Zeedyk-ryan and Smith 1983). Behavioral issues and defiance of authority is also more common under social crowding, especially household crowding (Marsh et al 2019). As noted by Welch (1976:2), the inability to find privacy or peace, the competition for space and resources, and the increased likelihood of interpersonal disagreement would create a context "frustrating and fraught by stress."…”