Negative emotionality, attachment quality, and behavior problems in early childhood

Many teachers of young children feel unskilled or unprepared to deal with children with learning and behavior disorders. The authors suggest that at least a part of the problem lies in the teacher's orientation to her class as a group. An alternative approach is based on viewing each child in the class as an individual, on an intra-individual basis. A situational analysis approach is suggested for teachers involved in early childhood education. The use of this approach is recommended in order to accommodate the needs of each child in the group, including the child with learning and behavior problems.

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Genetic origin of the relationship between parental negativity and behavior problems from early childhood to adolescence: A longitudinal genetically sensitive study

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579412001198 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 487-500 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Silvia Alemany ◽

Frühling V. Rijsdijk ◽

Claire Margaret Alison Haworth ◽

Lourdes Fañanás ◽

Robert Plomin

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Behavior Problems ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Causal Pathways ◽

Longitudinal Association ◽

Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽

And Behavior ◽

The Relationship

AbstractLittle is known about how genetic and environmental factors contribute to the association between parental negativity and behavior problems from early childhood to adolescence. The current study fitted a cross-lagged model in a sample consisting of 4,075 twin pairs to explore (a) the role of genetic and environmental factors in the relationship between parental negativity and behavior problems from age 4 to age 12, (b) whether parent-driven and child-driven processes independently explain the association, and (c) whether there are sex differences in this relationship. Both phenotypes showed substantial genetic influence at both ages. The concurrent overlap between them was mainly accounted for by genetic factors. Causal pathways representing stability of the phenotypes and parent-driven and child-driven effects significantly and independently account for the association. Significant but slight differences were found between males and females for parent-driven effects. These results were highly similar when general cognitive ability was added as a covariate. In summary, the longitudinal association between parental negativity and behavior problems seems to be bidirectional and mainly accounted for by genetic factors. Furthermore, child-driven effects were mainly genetically mediated, and parent-driven effects were a function of both genetic and shared-environmental factors.

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Poverty and behavior problems during early childhood

International Journal of Behavioral Development ◽

10.1177/0165025416657615 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 41 (6) ◽

pp. 670-680 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Julia Rachel Mazza ◽

Jean-Baptiste Pingault ◽

Linda Booij ◽

Michel Boivin ◽

Richard Tremblay ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Behavior Problems ◽

Maternal Depression ◽

Low Income ◽

Physical Aggression ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Established Risk Factor ◽

Statistics Canada ◽

Using Data ◽

And Behavior

Poverty is a well-established risk factor for behavior problems, yet our understanding of putative family mediators during early childhood (i.e., before age 5 years) is limited. The present study investigated whether the association between poverty and behavior problems during early childhood is mediated simultaneously by perceived parenting, family dysfunction and/or maternal depression symptoms. Outcomes measures were high trajectories of physical aggression and hyperactivity between 1.5 and 5 years. Poverty was defined as living 2–4 years below the low-income thresholds defined by Statistics Canada. Using data from the first five rounds of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, logistic regressions models showed that poverty was associated with a higher likelihood of being assigned to the high trajectory of physical aggression and hyperactivity. Overprotection and maternal depression symptoms mediated observed associations. Interventions targeting maternal depression, parenting, and poverty should help reducing children’s risk for early behavior problems.

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