A Canadian study has found that 15% of five-year-olds suffer from abnormally high levels of depression and anxiety. The study, which ran for 5 years and tested over 1,700 children, also found that children with a difficult temperament at the age of five months were more likely to go on to develop abnormally high levels of depression and anxiety.

Professor Sylvana Côté, lead author of the study, highlighted the importance of the research. “Our study is the first to show that infant temperament and lifetime maternal depression can lead to a high trajectory of depressive and anxiety problems before school entry,” she said.

The results will allow research conducted in the future to  target children who are highly susceptible to depression and anxiety, leading to a greater understanding of depression and anxiety disorders.

The study can be found at www.interscience.wiley.com.

Writer Tristan Boyd, Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.