Preschool behavior problems in classroom learning situations and literacy outcomes in kindergarten and first grade

Objective: This study tested Graham and Stevenson's 1987 hypothesis specifying links between EAS (emotionality-activity-sociability) temperament traits and behavioral syndromes of depression, hyperactivity, and delinquency in an unselected sample of 164 children in infancy and early childhood. Method: Mothers completed the Colorado Child Temperament Inventory. Each mother also used the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to report on her child's behavior problems after the child's completion of first grade. Scores on three CBCL scales, anxiety/depression and attention problems, and delinquent behavior, were examined in relation to the EAS traits. Results: For boys, high emotionality in infancy and early childhood was associated with high scores on both the anxiety/depression and attention problem scales. For girls, both high emotionality and low sociability predicted high scores on the anxiety/depression scale. There were no associations between EAS traits and attention problems for girls. There was little evidence for links between EAS traits and delinquent behavior for either boys or girls. Conclusions: The results are discussed with respect to temperamental traits as risk factors for the emergence of behavior problems in childhood.

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Preschool Behavior Problems and Subsequent Risk of Injury

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.82.4.644 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 82 (4) ◽

pp. 644-651

Author(s):

L. L. Davidson ◽

S. J. Hughes ◽

P. A. O'Connor

Keyword(s):

Behavior Problems ◽

Injury Rate ◽

Background Information ◽

Discipline Problems ◽

Specific Behavior ◽

Maternal Characteristics ◽

Risk Of Injury ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Widespread Belief ◽

Preschool Behavior Problems

The hospital records of 951 children from a previously established birth cohort for which behavioral and extensive background information was available were checked for 3 years following the fifth birthday of the youngest child. The aim was to determine whether children with certain specific behavior disorders had a higher rate of injury than those without. Although the predicted relationships between overactive behavior, decreased concentration, and injury rate were not found, the hypothesis of an increased risk of injury for boys and for children with discipline problems was confirmed. Also, the association between male sex and injury remained after controlling for the behavior variables related to injury. In general, some support was found for the suggestion of increased risk of injury among children who have specific behavior problems, although, contrary to widespread belief, this relationship accounts for only a small percentage of the injuries found in the cohort. Moreover, the relationship is modified by maternal characteristics and by the sex of the child. Unexpectedly, encopresis and marked fears were found to be risk factors for injury, although these effects were relatively small.

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