By combining the perspectives of parents and teachers, the study’s findings show that just over 8% of children in preschool have at least one probable mental health issue—such as emotional difficulties, oppositional behavior, or inattention/hyperactivity—that impacts their daily lives.

These findings confirm that, starting in early childhood—a critical period in children’s development—it is essential to strengthen the psychosocial skills that will serve as levers to promote mental health. This objective is part of the national multisectoral strategy for developing psychosocial skills in all children and youth, launched in 2022¹.

This work is part of a broader initiative on mental health—a major national cause for 2025—aimed in particular at promoting good mental health and preventing the onset of disorders. The regular updating of this study conducted by the Agency will make it possible to track changes in indicators of children’s well-being and mental health over time and inform public policy decisions necessary for creating, from an early age, living environments conducive to their development.

In preschool, about 1 in 12 children faces at least one mental health challenge

Based on a representative sample of more than 2,600 school-aged children in mainland France, combining the perspectives of parents and teachers, the study reveals that 8.3% of children aged 3 to 6 exhibit at least one type of probable mental health difficulty that impacts their daily lives.

More specifically:

• 1.8% exhibit emotional difficulties

• 5.9% exhibit oppositional difficulties

• 1.9% exhibit inattention/hyperactivity difficulties

• Boys are more likely to have difficulties that affect their lives than girls (11.3% versus 5.2%, respectively)

Other key points to note:

• Nearly 13% of children in preschool had consulted a healthcare professional at least once in the twelve months prior to the study for psychological or learning difficulties

• About one-third of children who exhibit at least one type of likely difficulty affecting their daily lives consulted a mental health professional during the previous year

• Children’s well-being, as estimated by parents, can be considered good for both girls and boys

It should be noted that at these early ages, behavioral or emotional difficulties can change rapidly, and their assessment is influenced by the perceptions and expectations of the adult respondents; the results should therefore be interpreted with caution. These are not clinical diagnoses, but rather aim to provide an epidemiological picture of the needs of young children as a whole. On an individual basis, in the event of difficulties, a discussion with a primary care provider can help parents.

Further analyses are planned to identify factors associated with these difficulties, such as the child’s living environment, their health, or that of their parents.

These results also confirm the need to intervene at the earliest age, during early childhood—a critical period of development—and call for improved mental health support systems for children under the age of 6. Santé publique France is committed, for example, to promoting psychosocial skills (PSS), a tool to be leveraged for the benefit of mental health from the earliest ages. Thus, in 2022, the Agency published an initial review of the current state of knowledge on PSS and a theoretical framework, which will be supplemented in early 2025 by an operational framework and resources. These frameworks provide a foundation of knowledge on PSAs and serve as useful resources for PSA trainers to foster the development of PSAs in children and youth. This is part of the national strategy for PSA development co-led by the Ministries of Health and National Education. Santé publique France is developing and co-creating these tools to support stakeholders in local communities and help them internalize the fundamentals of social and emotional skills (SES) based on evidence-based interventions. This is how it contributed SES expertise to the development of the Ministry of National Education’s empathy kit, which will be rolled out in preschool and elementary schools at the start of the 2024 school year.