Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (780 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Any observable response or action of a child from 24 months through 12 years of age. For neonates or children younger than 24 months, infant behavior is available.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Behavior, Child.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Behavior
- Narrower topics
- Infant Behavior; Problem Behavior
Related concepts
- Infant Behavior
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 30,119 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Child Behavior” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 6,420 of them (21.3%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 12,814 records.
Reviews account for 2,796 records (9.3%) and meta-analyses for 340. Randomized controlled trials number 2,108 (7.0%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 5,587 |
| 2000-2009 | 5,298 |
| 2010-2019 | 12,814 |
| 2020 onward | 6,420 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 2,796 | 9.3% |
| Meta-analyses | 340 | 1.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 2,108 | 7.0% |
Method: PubMed query "Child Behavior"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in psychiatry and psychology
Research on mental health and behaviour relies on questionnaires, interviews and rating scales rather than physical measurements, so how a condition was defined and measured shapes every result. Many studies are observational or small, placebo responses can be large, and findings in one group or culture may not carry over to another. Nothing on this page is advice about diagnosis or treatment; anyone worried about their mental health should talk to a qualified clinician. Check how outcomes were measured, who took part and how long they were followed.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Using a Mobile App to Support Parents of Children with Behavior Problems | 2025 | Randomized controlled trial Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 41166028 · DOI · PMC12718277 |
| Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Behavioral Outcomes in Canadian Children | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 41774440 · DOI · PMC12958080 |
| Renewal of challenging behavior in an intensive outpatient clinic: Replication and extension to task changes | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 41674209 · DOI · PMC12895135 |
Using a Mobile App to Support Parents of Children with Behavior Problems [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Evidence-based mental health services are difficult to access; telehealth and mobile health hold promise by removing barriers to traditional clinic-based interventions and enabling broader access.
- Closing excerpt
- Mobile app-delivered BPT has the capacity to support families as a feasible and acceptable standalone treatment and should be considered as part of a stepped-care approach or for families who cannot access clinician-delivered BPT.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (250 words)
Evidence-based mental health services are difficult to access; telehealth and mobile health hold promise by removing barriers to traditional clinic-based interventions and enabling broader access. Behavioral parent training (BPT) is an evidence-based treatment for child disruptive behaviors. This project examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of using a mobile BPT app, Treks, with families as a standalone treatment (Study 1) or in combination with brief clinician consultation (Study 2). Study 1 participants included 20 caregivers of children with challenging behaviors who engaged with Treks for four weeks. Study 2 participants included 26 caregivers of autistic children with behavioral concerns; all parents received a one-session telehealth consultation followed by random assignment to four weeks of Treks engagement (Treks; n = 14) or access to online resources (consultation control: CC; n = 12). Across both studies, Treks was rated positively and was reported by parents as acceptable and appropriate for their concerns, as well as adequately feasible. In Study 1, 60% of participants fully completed Treks and 83% of completers showed reliable improvement in at least one main outcome (parenting stress, parent sense of competence, and child behavior problems). In study 2, there were significant improvements in Treks but not CC participants, showing moderate-to-large decreases in child disruptive behaviors and parent stress and increases in parent-perceived competency. Mobile app-delivered BPT has the capacity to support families as a feasible and acceptable standalone treatment and should be considered as part of a stepped-care approach or for families who cannot access clinician-delivered BPT.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41166028 · DOI · PMC12718277
Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Behavioral Outcomes in Canadian Children [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- ImportanceUltraprocessed foods (UPF) contribute to nearly half of energy intake among preschool-aged children in Canada, yet their impact on behavioral and emotional functioning remains underexplored.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings also support ongoing policy actions that promote MPF and underscore the need for early-life dietary interventions.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (383 words)
ImportanceUltraprocessed foods (UPF) contribute to nearly half of energy intake among preschool-aged children in Canada, yet their impact on behavioral and emotional functioning remains underexplored.ObjectiveTo examine the associations between UPF intake at age 3 years and behavioral outcomes at age 5 years.Design, setting, and participantsThis cohort study included children with dietary and behavioral data from September 2011 to April 2018 in the CHILD Cohort Study, a prospective Canadian pregnancy cohort. Data analysis was done between February to July 2025.ExposureUPF intake at age 3 years was assessed by a 112-item food frequency questionnaire and categorized using the NOVA system.Main outcomes and measuresBehavior was measured using the validated Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; range 0-100; higher scores indicating more adverse symptoms). UPF intake measured as a continuous percentage of energy was examined using multivariable-adjusted linear regression models accounting for maternal diet, birth factors, infant feeding, and sociodemographic and early-childhood characteristics. A multivariable-adjusted substitution model estimated the association of statistically replacing 10% energy from UPF with minimally processed foods (MPF) among all children.ResultsAmong 2077 participants, 1092 (52.6%) were male; 1376 children (66.2%) were White, 480 children (23.1%) were multiracial, and 221 children (10.7%) were identified as another ethnic group. At age 3 years, UPF contributed a mean (SD) of 45.5% (11.6%) of total energy intake. At age 5 years, the mean (SD) CBCL scores were 44.6 (9.1) for internalizing, 39.6 (9.4) for externalizing, and 41.2 (9.0) for total behavior. Each 10% increase in energy from UPF was associated with higher CBCL internalizing (β = 0.81 [95% CI, 0.43 to 1.19]), externalizing (β = 0.47 [95% CI, 0.08 to 0.87]), and total (β = 0.64 [95% CI, 0.27 to 1.01]) scores. Substitution of 10% energy from UPF with MPF was associated with lower internalizing (β = -0.91 [95% CI, -1.33 to -0.49]), externalizing (β = -0.49 [95% CI, -0.93 to -0.06]), and total (β = -0.70 [95% CI, -1.12 to -0.29]) scores.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study of preschoolers in Canada, higher UPF intake was associated with adverse behavioral and emotional symptoms by age 5 years. These findings suggest that replacing UPF with MPF during the preschool years may support healthier behavioral development, with potential benefits for long-term mental health. These findings also support ongoing policy actions that promote MPF and underscore the need for early-life dietary interventions.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41774440 · DOI · PMC12958080
Renewal of challenging behavior in an intensive outpatient clinic: Replication and extension to task changes [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Retrospective analyses have shown that renewal of challenging behavior following person or setting changes is common.
- Closing excerpt
- Findings highlight the broader range of contextual variables that may evoke renewal and the need for strategies to reduce its intensity and persistence during treatment.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (147 words)
Retrospective analyses have shown that renewal of challenging behavior following person or setting changes is common. This study replicates and extends prior work by evaluating renewal after a third type of context change: task changes. Among 98 patients in an intensive outpatient clinic who experienced 749 context changes, overall renewal prevalence was 25.23% using a max-of-5 criterion (39.79% using a mean-of-2 criterion), consistent with prior reports across this large sample. Of the 63 patients who experienced at least one task change, 36 (57.14%) exhibited renewal. Task changes produced higher renewal rates than person or setting changes across criteria, but differences were not statistically significant. Renewal magnitude generally declined across sessions; however, challenging behavior rarely returned to prechange levels, even after five sessions. Findings highlight the broader range of contextual variables that may evoke renewal and the need for strategies to reduce its intensity and persistence during treatment.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41674209 · DOI · PMC12895135
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Systematic review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth [4]
- Research article Corporal punishment by parents and associated child behaviors and experiences: a meta-analytic and theoretical review [5]
- Research article Associations of parenting dimensions and styles with externalizing problems of children and adolescents: An updated meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Gender differences in emotion expression in children: a meta-analytic review [7]
- Research article The influence of parental practices on child promotive and preventive food consumption behaviors: a systematic review and meta-analysis [8]
- Research article Spanking and child outcomes: Old controversies and new meta-analyses [9]
References
- Dahiya AV, Breaux R, Pham SN, Martino DC, Fok M, Albright J, et al.. Using a Mobile App to Support Parents of Children with Behavior Problems. . 2025. PMID 41166028 · DOI · PMC12718277
- Kavanagh ME, Chen ZH, Tamana SK, Moraes TJ, Simons E, Turvey SE, et al.. Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Behavioral Outcomes in Canadian Children. . 2026. PMID 41774440 · DOI · PMC12958080
- Aggarwal I, O'Brien MJ, Pauls AM, Jeglum SR, Franck CT, Martinez-Perez CN, et al.. Renewal of challenging behavior in an intensive outpatient clinic: Replication and extension to task changes. . 2026. PMID 41674209 · DOI · PMC12895135
- Tremblay MS, LeBlanc AG, Kho ME, Saunders TJ, Larouche R, Colley RC, et al.. Systematic review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2011. PMID 21936895 · DOI · PMC3186735
- Gershoff ET. Corporal punishment by parents and associated child behaviors and experiences: a meta-analytic and theoretical review. Psychol Bull. 2002. PMID 12081081 · DOI
- Pinquart M. Associations of parenting dimensions and styles with externalizing problems of children and adolescents: An updated meta-analysis. Dev Psychol. 2017. PMID 28459276 · DOI
- Chaplin TM, Aldao A. Gender differences in emotion expression in children: a meta-analytic review. Psychol Bull. 2013. PMID 23231534 · DOI · PMC3597769
- Yee AZ, Lwin MO, Ho SS. The influence of parental practices on child promotive and preventive food consumption behaviors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2017. PMID 28399881 · DOI · PMC5387370
- Gershoff ET, Grogan-Kaylor A. Spanking and child outcomes: Old controversies and new meta-analyses. J Fam Psychol. 2016. PMID 27055181 · DOI · PMC7992110
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.