Paula M Barrett, Marita Cooper and Anthony B H Teoh
Retrospective reports have consistently demonstrated that many psychiatric disorders have their onset in childhood and adolescence. Childhood onset symptomology typically exhibits a chronic, unremitting course and is related to adverse social, psychological and physical health outcomes. Whilst treatment programs in adulthood aim to reconstruct dysfunctional patterns of behaviors established and maintained over years of experience, early childhood interventions promote healthy beliefs at an age where individuals are more adaptable. This article will provide a rationale for the development and promotion of prevention programs for preschool-aged children by reviewing the prevalence and outcomes of early onset symptomology. This will be followed by an overview of the factors required to develop a framework for prevention programs including risk factors and strengths of preschool-aged children, levels of prevention, and intervention settings. Three commonly utilized treatment approaches will be reviewed prior to the introduction of a proposed model of prevention for working with preschool-aged children. The article concludes with discussion of challenges in prevention research and future directions.