{
  "abstract": "Background: Despite early childhood being a foundational developmental period, the evidence on temporal trends in preschool social-emotional problems remains limited. This study examines trends over time in the prevalence and sociodemographic patterning of social-emotional problems among three-year-old children in a Swedish county and assesses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.\n\nMethods: This was a repeated, cross-sectional and population-based study with data collection spanning 2014-2022. The parent-reported Ages & Stages Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE) 36-month questionnaire from routine child health services in Västerbotten County was linked to national register data on parents’ sociodemographic characteristics. Model-based prevalence, prevalence ratios and the interaction between time and sociodemographic characteristics were estimated by fitting regression models. The impact of the pandemic was investigated using interrupted time series analysis.\n\nResults: A statistically significant linear trend in social-emotional problems was found, with model-based prevalence increasing from 7.9% (95% CI 6.8 – 9.3%) in 2014 to 12.3% (95% CI 10.9 – 13.9%) in 2022. There also appeared to be persisting sociodemographic differences. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was not found to be statistically significant, although an initial decrease in prevalence was observed in addition to increasing differences in social-emotional problems in boys and children with immigrant backgrounds in the year following the pandemic.\n\nConclusions: An increasing trend in preschool social-emotional problems alongside persisting social inequalities is concerning as well as notable in northern Sweden, a high-income context with comprehensive social security. Potential explanations include changing social environments or increased awareness and reporting. Future research should use longitudinal and mixed-methods approaches to examine these trends, informing context-sensitive interventions in early childhood.\n\nKey messages: • Social-emotional problems in 3-year-olds appear to have increased in Västerbotten, Sweden (2014–2022), suggesting a need for precision-oriented approaches to guide targeted and effective prevention.\n\n• The presence of sociodemographic differences in the prevalence of preschool social-emotional problems over time indicates a need for early interventions addressing the social determinants of health.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "abstract",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "A Rosenberg"
    },
    {
      "name": "M Vaezghasemi"
    },
    {
      "name": "M Lindkvist"
    },
    {
      "name": "A M Pulkki-Brännström"
    },
    {
      "name": "L Richter Sundberg"
    },
    {
      "name": "S A Silfverdal"
    },
    {
      "name": "A Ivarsson"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cvfbmxq91p7dv.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1709",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13699393/",
  "id": "cvfbmxq91p7dv",
  "issns": [
    "1101-1262",
    "1464-360X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1709",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "6. Poster Displays"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/MED00860"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/SOC01210"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/SOC02610"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "DQ. Maternal, child and adolescent public health"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3203|Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223668603",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13699393/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13699393",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "Oxford University Press",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cvfbmxq91p7dv.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:01Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13699393",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1709"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:25Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13699393",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13699393"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:3203|Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Increasing Trends and Persistent Inequalities in Preschool Social-Emotional Problems in Sweden",
  "title_text": "Increasing Trends and Persistent Inequalities in Preschool Social-Emotional Problems in Sweden",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:35:59Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cvfbmxq91p7dv",
  "venue": "The European Journal of Public Health",
  "versions": []
}