Predicting preschoolers' externalizing behaviors from toddler temperament, conflict, and maternal negativity.
Rarely have researchers elucidated early childhood precursors of externalizing behaviors for boys and girls from a normative sample. Toddlers (N = 104; 52 girls) were observed interacting with a same-sex peer and their mothers, and indices of conflict-aggression, emotion and behavior dysregulation, parenting, and child externalizing problems were obtained. Results indicated that boys initiated more conflictual-aggressive interactions as toddlers and had more externalizing difficulties 2 years later, yet girls' (not boys') conflict-aggressive initiations at age 2 were related to subsequent externalizing problems. When such initiations were controlled for, emotional-behavioral undercontrol at age 2 also independently predicted externalizing problems at age 4. Moreover, the relation between conflict-aggressive initiations at age 2 and externalizing problems at age 4 was strongest for dysregulated toddlers. Finally, the relation between age 2 conflict-aggressive initiations and age 4 externalizing problems was strongest for those toddlers who incurred high levels of maternal negativity. These findings illustrate temperament by parenting connections in the development of externalizing problems.
Rubin
Kenneth H
KH
Center for Children, Relationships, and Culture, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742-1131, USA. kr61@umail.umd.edu
Burgess
Kim B
KB
Dwyer
Kathleen M
KM
Hastings
Paul D
PD
D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013694:Temperament; D014743:Videotape Recording