title: Relationships between early behavioural characteristics and temperament at 6 years.
abstract: The aim of this study was to analyze the extent to which the relations and the stability of the neonatal behaviour and the infant behaviour at both 4 and 12 months could be used to predict the infant temperament at 6 years. Seventy-two full-term, normal-weight, healthy children were followed from 3 days postpartum to 6 years. Neonatal behaviour at 3 and 30 days was assessed using the Neonatal Behaviour Assessment Scale (NBAS), behaviour at 4 and 12 months was assessed using the Infant Behaviour Record (IBR) from the Bayley Scales for Infant Development (BSID) and temperament at 6 years was assessed using the Dimensions of Temperament Survey-Revised (DOTS-R). Negative and positive affectivity and attention were the factors extracted from the behaviours of the IBR. Our results showed a low/moderate correlation between neonatal behaviour on the one hand and behaviour at 4 and 12 months and temperament at 6 years on the other hand. The motor performance, orientation and ANS stability of the neonate at 3 and 30 days were predictors of positive and negative affectivity at 4 months. State regulation and ANS stability at 3 days were predictors of negative affectivity and attention respectively at 12 months. Negative affectivity at 12 months and endurance at 30 days were predictors of general activity and persistence/attention at 6 years. Also, an inverse relation was found between state regulation at 30 days and general activity at 6 years, and a positive relation was found between attention at 4 months and persistence/attention at 6 years. We conclude that neonatal behaviour and behaviour in the first year of life are good predictors of temperament at 6 years and that early negative affectivity has an important role on infant temperament development.
authors.affiliation: CRAMC-Departament de Psicologia, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain. josefa.canals@urv.cat
authors.forename: Josefa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Canals
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hernández-Martínez
authors.forename: Joan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Fernández-Ballart
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D002657:Child Development; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D013694:Temperament / Q000502:physiology*