Protective longitudinal paths linking child competence to behavioral problems among African American siblings.
A 4-wave longitudinal design was used to examine protective links from child competence to behavioral problems in first- (M=10.97 years) and second- (M=8.27 years) born rural African American children. At 1-year intervals, teachers assessed child behavioral problems, mothers reported their psychological functioning, and both mothers and children reported parenting practices. Structural equation modeling indicated that child competence was linked with residualized positive changes in mothers' psychological functioning from Wave 1 to Wave 2. Mothers' psychological functioning and child competence at Wave 2 forecast involved-supportive parenting at Wave 3, which was associated negatively with externalizing and internalizing problems at Wave 4. The importance of replicating processes leading to outcomes among children in the same study is discussed.
Brody
Gene H
GH
Center for Family Research/Institute for Behavioral Research, and Department of Child and Family Development, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-4527, USA. gbrody@uga.edu
Kim
Sooyeon
S
Murry
Velma McBride
VM
Brown
Anita C
AC
D001741:Black or African American; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D012424:Rural Population; D012649:Self Concept; D035781:Siblings; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires