A major new report has found that the recent recession has impacted negatively on the social and emotional development of children in Ireland.

The findings are based on the latest results from the ongoing Growing Up in Ireland study, which focused on two cohorts of children - the 2008 cohort of over 11,000 children, most of whom were born in 2008 and were recruited into the study at nine months of age, and the 1998 cohort of over 8,500 children, most of whom were born in 1998 and were recruited into the study at nine years of age.

The children (or their parents) were interviewed at different periods between 2007 and 2012.

The findings show that there was a ‘dramatic increase in economic vulnerability' for families in both cohorts - 15% to 25% in the 1998 cohort and 19% to 25% in the 2008 cohort.

According to the report, the number of people out of work, as well as financial stress, increased significantly for both cohorts throughout the recession, and living standards deteriorated.

"The proportion of families lacking one or more basic goods or services rose from 21% to 30% for the 2008 cohort and from 14% to 29% for the 1998 cohort," it noted.

The report also noted that as the recession continued, the profile of economically vulnerable families began to change. For example, where the risk of economic vulnerability was originally greatest among single-parent familes and those with lower levels of education, as the recession continued, a ‘broader group of families who did not fit the traditional profile' were drawn in.

"By the second wave (of interviews), economically vulnerable families included more two-parent families and more families with higher levels of education," it said.

A major part of the report was to assess the impact of this economic vulnerability on the socio-emotional development of children.

"Drawing on measures which are widely used internationally, children from economically vulnerable families were found to have greater behavioural or socio-emotional problems. Statistical tests indicated that persistent economic vulnerability had more effect on the child's socio-emotional wellbeing than transitory vulnerability," the report stated.

The researchers used a Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to assess each child's socio-emotional development. The SDQ scale measures the ‘level of difficulty children experience in the areas of emotions, conduct, hyperactivity, inattention and peer relationships'.

The report found that the biggest risk factor for a high SDQ score was economic vulnerability.

"Children who lived in economically vulnerable families in neither period had only a 3.5% risk of having a high SDQ score. This rose to about 8% if the child was economically vulnerable in either period and to 13% if the child was economically vulnerable in both periods.

"The high risk associated with economic vulnerability remains statistically significant with other characteristics controlled. This means that it was not due to differences in family type, level of education of the primary caregiver or relationship breakdown," it said.

Commenting on the findings, the report's co-author, Dr Dorothy Watson, of the ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute), said that the results show the major changes that have taken place in economically vulnerable families over time.

"Because of the recession, many economically vulnerable families no longer fit the traditional profile of poor families. The findings point to the need for a broader set of policies to meet the needs of economically vulnerable families, going beyond income support to include supports for employment and childcare as well," she said.

The report was launched at the Growing Up in Ireland's Annual Research Conference 2014 in Dublin's Croke Park Conference Centre.