Problem behaviour in children is influenced more by where they live than by family income and education, new research has found.

The researchers in Holland assessed the behaviour of 734 children between the ages of five and seven, against parental income, educational levels, and other socio-economic factors.

They found that children living in the most and moderately deprived neighbourhoods had significantly more behaviour problems than children living in the least deprived neighbourhoods. But parental income, marital status, and educational levels could only partly explain this finding.

Authors of the study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health conclude that a child's tendancy towards anti-social or criminal behaviour is influenced by "poor social cohesion" and a "lack of amenities" found in deprived urban neighbourhoods.