Parenting and the development of effortful control from early childhood to early adolescence: A transactional developmental model

AbstractPoor effortful control is a key temperamental factor underlying behavioral problems. The bidirectional association of child effortful control with both positive parenting and negative discipline was examined from ages approximately 3 to 13–14 years, involving five time points, and using data from parents and children in the Oregon Youth Study—Three Generational Study (N= 318 children from 150 families). Based on a dynamic developmental systems approach, it was hypothesized that there would be concurrent associations between parenting and child effortful control and bidirectional effects across time from each aspect of parenting to effortful control and from effortful control to each aspect of parenting. It was also hypothesized that associations would be more robust in early childhood, from ages 3 to 7 years, and would diminish as indicated by significantly weaker effects at the older ages, 11–12 to 13–14 years. Longitudinal feedback or mediated effects were also tested. The findings supported (a) stability in each construct over multiple developmental periods; (b) concurrent associations, which were significantly weaker at the older ages; (c) bidirectional effects, consistent with the interpretation that at younger ages children's effortful control influenced parenting, whereas at older child ages, parenting influenced effortful control; and (d) a transactional effect, such that maternal parenting in late childhood was a mechanism explaining children's development of effortful control from middle childhood to early adolescence.

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The Stability of Temperament from Early Childhood to Early Adolescence: A Multi–Method, Multi–Informant Examination

European Journal of Personality ◽

10.1002/per.2151 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 128-145 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Daniel C. Kopala–Sibley ◽

Thomas Olino ◽

Emily Durbin ◽

Margaret W. Dyson ◽

Daniel N. Klein

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Adolescence ◽

Psychological Functioning ◽

Latent Variables ◽

Effortful Control ◽

Parent Report ◽

Positive Emotionality ◽

Personality Psychology ◽

Convergent And Divergent Validity ◽

The Stability

Temperament is a core aspect of children's psychological functioning and is assumed to be at least somewhat stable across childhood. However, little research has assessed the stability of temperament from early childhood to early adolescence. Moreover, few studies have examined the influence of measurement and analytic methods on the stability of early temperament over periods of more than a few years. We obtained laboratory observations and mother and father reports of temperamental negative and positive emotionality and effortful control from 559 three–year–olds. Approximately nine years later, children and both parents completed questionnaire measures of similar temperament constructs. Zero–order correlations revealed greater within–informant than cross–informant stability. In addition, compared with parent reports, early childhood laboratory measures showed greater convergent and divergent validity with child, mother, and father reports at age 12. Finally, latent temperament variables at age 3 composed of laboratory and parent–report measures and latent variables at age 12 composed of parent and child reports showed moderate stability. There was also a weak but significant association of early effortful control with later negative and positive emotionality. Results have implications for assessing temperament and knowledge of the stability of temperament across childhood. Copyright © 2018 European Association of Personality Psychology

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Children’s Temperament: A Bridge between Mothers’ Parenting and Aggression

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17176382 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (17) ◽

pp. 6382

Author(s):

Miguel A. Carrasco ◽

Begoña Delgado ◽

Francisco Pablo Holgado-Tello

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Effortful Control ◽

Social Impact ◽

Childhood Aggression ◽

Parent Child Relationship ◽

Maternal Behaviors ◽

Children's Behavior

Childhood aggression is important to acknowledge due to its social impact and importance in predicting future problems. The temperament of a child and parental socialization have been essential in explaining behavioral problems, particularly in the case of childhood aggression. The aim of this study is to examine—from the parents’ perspective—the role of childhood temperament in the dynamic by which mothers’ reactions socialize their children’s aggression. We also explore how children’s gender and age differences affect these relationships. The sample was composed of 904 participants between 1 and 6 years old. The Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire and the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire were used to evaluate children’s negative affect and effortful control. The Parent–Child Relationship Inventory Maternal was used to assess maternal communication and discipline, and child aggression was assessed using the Children’s Behavior Checklist. The results supported the mediating role of temperament in the processes by which perceived mothers’ reactions socialize their children’s aggression and suggested that maternal behaviors may not have the same consequences for girls and boys. Specifically, the aggressiveness of girls is dependent on a negative affect throughout toddlerhood and early childhood, while for boys, the duration of the negative affect’s contribution is shorter, and aggressiveness is more sensitive to the maternal behaviors of discipline and communication.

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Longitudinal association of nighttime sleep duration with emotional and behavioral problems in early childhood: results from the Danish Healthy Start Study

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsaa138 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Miaobing Zheng ◽

Anna Rangan ◽

Nanna Julie Olsen ◽

Berit L Heitmann

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Sleep Duration ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Parental Stress ◽

Healthy Start ◽

Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽

Control Group ◽

Bidirectional Association ◽

Nighttime Sleep

Abstract Study Objectives To examine the longitudinal and bidirectional association between nighttime sleep duration and emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) over 15 months among preschool children. Methods Data of children aged 2 to 6 years from the control group of the Danish Healthy Start Study, a 15-month obesity prevention intervention, were used. Nighttime sleep duration was measured using a 7-day sleep record. EBPs were assessed by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Total Difficulties (SDQ-TD) score and Prosocial Behavior (SDQ-PSB) score. Multivariable regression models were conducted to examine the bidirectional associations between changes in nighttime sleep duration and SDQ scores. Results With adjustment for child, family factors, and parental stress level, every hour extra nighttime sleep at baseline was associated with a 1.02 decrease in SDQ-TD score and 77% lower odds of having an abnormal SDQ-TD score (≥90th percentile) at the follow-up (p = 0.01). Children who increased their nighttime sleep duration over the 15-month demonstrated a similar concurrent reduction in SDQ-TD score (β = −1.28, p = 0.02) compared with those who decreased or had no change in nighttime sleep duration. After additional adjustment for sleep problem and habit variables, the significant associations remained. No associations were found between nighttime sleep duration and SDQ-PSB scores. Examination of SDQ scores as predictors of subsequent changes in nighttime sleep duration showed no significant associations. Conclusions Among preschool children, longer nighttime sleep duration was associated with a decline in EBPs, but not vice versa. Our study provides new longitudinal evidence to support sleep interventions to improve EBPs in early childhood. Clinical trials: The Healthy Start Study: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01583335 Trial registration: ID NCT01583335

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Transactional relations between caregiving stress, executive functioning, and problem behavior from early childhood to early adolescence

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579416000286 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 743-756 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Linda L. Lagasse ◽

Elisabeth Conradt ◽

Sarah L. Karalunas ◽

Lynne M. Dansereau ◽

Jonathan E. Butner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Behavior Problems ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Problem Behavior ◽

Early Adolescence ◽

Middle Childhood ◽

Externalizing Behavior ◽

Developmental Time ◽

Internalizing Behavior ◽

Caregiving Stress

AbstractDevelopmental psychopathologists face the difficult task of identifying the environmental conditions that may contribute to early childhood behavior problems. Highly stressed caregivers can exacerbate behavior problems, while children with behavior problems may make parenting more difficult and increase caregiver stress. Unknown is: (a) how these transactions originate, (b) whether they persist over time to contribute to the development of problem behavior and (c) what role resilience factors, such as child executive functioning, may play in mitigating the development of problem behavior. In the present study, transactional relations between caregiving stress, executive functioning, and behavior problems were examined in a sample of 1,388 children with prenatal drug exposures at three developmental time points: early childhood (birth to age 5), middle childhood (ages 6 to 9), and early adolescence (ages 10 to 13). Transactional relations differed between caregiving stress and internalizing versus externalizing behavior. Targeting executive functioning in evidence-based interventions for children with prenatal substance exposure who present with internalizing problems and treating caregiving psychopathology, depression, and parenting stress in early childhood may be particularly important for children presenting with internalizing behavior.

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Longitudinal associations between prosocial behavior and behavioral problems across childhood: A robust random-intercept cross-lagged panel model

10.31234/osf.io/5qu87 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marielle Zondervan-Zwijnenburg ◽

Simone Dobbelaar ◽

Mara van der Meulen ◽

Michelle Achterberg

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Prosocial Behavior ◽

Middle Childhood ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Externalizing Behavior ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Future Research ◽

Individual Level ◽

Random Intercept ◽

Longitudinal Associations

Prior studies have indicated that prosocial behavior might be a protective factor for developing behavioral problems. The current study analyzed longitudinal associations between prosocial behavior and behavioral problems in two twin cohorts (98% Western European): in early childhood (age M=4.77, 52% girls, N=440) and middle childhood (age M=7.94, 51% girls, N=512). Two parental reports and an observational task were used as prosocial behavior assessments. The results showed a significant between-person association between externalizing behavior and parent reported prosocial behavior in middle childhood, but not in early childhood. The random-intercept cross-lagged panel analysis provided most support was for the hypothesis that the cross-lagged relations are absent at the individual level. Important methodological considerations and implications for future research are discussed.

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