The prevalence of challenging behaviors: a total population study

• Published in: Research in developmental disabilities Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 77 - 93
• Main Authors: Emerson, Eric, Kiernan, Chris, Alborz, Alison, Reeves, David, Mason, Heidi, Swarbrick, Rebecca, Mason, Linda, Hatton, Chris
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Ltd 2001; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Adults; Age Differences; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aggression; Behavior Disorders; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Comorbidity; Cross-Sectional Studies; England; Female; Foreign Countries; Humans; Incidence; Intellectual deficiency; Intellectual Disability - epidemiology; Intellectual Disability - rehabilitation; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - rehabilitation; Mental Retardation; Middle Aged; Population Surveillance; Predictor Variables; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Severity (of Disability); Sex Differences; United Kingdom; United Kingdom (England); United Kingdom; Europe; Human; Self injury; Prevalence; Mental health; Intellectual deficiency; Developmental disorder; Mental retardation; Epidemiology; Public health; Aggressiveness; Behavioral disorder
• ISSN: 0891-4222; 1873-3379
• DOI: 10.1016/S0891-4222(00)00061-5

A total population study was undertaken in two areas of England to identify the situation and characteristics of people reported to exhibit challenging behaviors. We found that: (1) challenging behaviors are shown by 10–15% of people with mental retardation who are in contact with educational, health or social care services for people with mental retardation; (2) the most common forms of challenging behaviors reported were ‘other’ behavior (shown by 9%–12% of all people screened), aggression (7%), destructive behavior (4%–5%) and self-injury (4%); (3) the majority of people identified showed two or more of these four general forms of challenging behavior; (4) approximately two-thirds of the people identified were boys/men; (5) close to two-thirds of the people identified were adolescents or young adults; (6) approximately 50% of the people identified as showing more demanding challenging behavior were living with their families; (7) people who showed more demanding challenging behavior were more likely to need greater levels of assistance in eating, dressing and washing, be incontinent and have more restricted expressive and receptive communication.