Marsh R, et al. – Because prior researchers of early small-scale studies have indicated that living in more crowded homes is correlated with an increased risk of behavioral problems in children, researchers of this current investigation assessed the link between home crowding levels and children's behavioral problems, and examined factors that could explain this connection. The study sample consisted of mothers of 2,576 children who were interviewed. Via the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, crowding was measured at 2 years of age by people per room, and behavioral problems were assessed at 3 years of age. They noted an association of living in a more crowded home with a greater risk of behavioral problems, independent of confounding factors (eg, sex, age, single-parent family, maternal education, receipt of benefits, social class, and neighborhood quality). Overall, the investigators suggested that improved housing could decrease childhood behavioral problems, and families living in crowded circumstances could benefit from greater support. Crowding occurs more commonly in social housing, so it would ideally be a long-term objective to increase space in social housing, the authors noted.