The three-year study by the Office for National Statistics tracked the emotional wellbeing of more than 7,000 children over a three-year period. Three Years On: A Survey of the Emotional Development and Wellbeing of Children and Young People found that 43 per cent of children who had a behavioural disorder in 2004 also had it in 2007.
The persistence was linked to living in rented accommodation, their parents' educational attainment and occupation and the number of children in the family.
Children who experienced three or more stressful life events, such as bereavement, serious illness or their parents divorcing, were significantly more likely to develop the disorders in the first place.
Sarah Brennan, chief executive of mental health charity YoungMinds, said: "The children's workforce, teachers, youth workers and health visitors all need to be trained to support children in distress, understand normal child development and recognise signs of mental health problems."
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