Infant Predictors of Kindergarten Behavior: The Contribution of Inhibited and Uninhibited Temperament Types

This study examines infant temperament (inhibited and uninhibited styles) as a predictor of behavior in the kindergarten classroom. Thirty-one kindergarten children were observed in their classrooms for approximately 1.5 hours on each of four occasions between September and January. Fourteen children (8 girls, 6 boys) had been classified as high reactive at 4 months of age and inhibited at 14 and 21 months; 17 (7 girls, 10 boys) were low-reactive at 4 months, and uninhibited at 14 and 21 months. Modest evidence for continuity in temperament was found, and, as predicted, differences were most apparent for classroom behaviors that might be stressful for socially inhibited children. The results show some differences between girls and boys and describe trends in classroom behavior as children make the transition to kindergarten. These findings identify temperament as a factor that influences children's adjustment to kindergarten and contributes to a body of work that identifies early risk factors for later behavioral problems.

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Attention bias to reward predicts behavioral problems and moderates early risk to externalizing and attention problems

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579419000166 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 397-409 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Santiago Morales ◽

Natalie V. Miller ◽

Sonya V. Troller-Renfree ◽

Lauren K. White ◽

Kathryn A. Degnan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Effortful Control ◽

Attention Bias ◽

Attention Problems ◽

Behavioral Measures ◽

Early Risk ◽

Early Risk Factors ◽

Reward Bias

AbstractThe current study had three goals. First, we replicated recent evidence that suggests a concurrent relation between attention bias to reward and externalizing and attention problems at age 7. Second, we extended these findings by examining the relations between attention and behavioral measures of early exuberance (3 years), early effortful control (4 years), and concurrent effortful control (7 years), as well as later behavioral problems (9 years). Third, we evaluated the role of attention to reward in the longitudinal pathways between early exuberance and early effortful control to predict externalizing and attention problems. Results revealed that attention bias to reward was associated concurrently and longitudinally with behavioral problems. Moreover, greater reward bias was concurrently associated with lower levels of parent-reported effortful control. Finally, attention bias to reward moderated the longitudinal relations between early risk factors for behavioral problems (gender, exuberance, and effortful control) and later externalizing and attention problems, such that these early risk factors were most predictive of behavioral problems for males with a large attention bias to reward. These findings suggest that attention bias to reward may act as a moderator of early risk, aiding the identification of children at the highest risk for later behavioral problems.

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Infant temperament and parent use of food to soothe predict change in weight-for-length across infancy: early risk factors for childhood obesity

International Journal of Obesity ◽

10.1038/s41366-018-0006-4 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 42 (9) ◽

pp. 1631-1638 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Cynthia A. Stifter ◽

Kameron J. Moding

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Childhood Obesity ◽

Infant Temperament ◽

Early Risk ◽

Early Risk Factors

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The pathway to special education: The role of early risk factors in disability identification

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e569872014-001 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Whitney A. Leboeuf ◽

Benjamin Brumley ◽

John W. Fantuzzo ◽

Cody A. Hostutler

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Special Education ◽

Early Risk ◽

Early Risk Factors ◽

Disability Identification

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Early Risk Factors for Obesity in the First 1000 Days—Relationship with Body Fat and BMI at 2 Years

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18158179 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (15) ◽

pp. 8179

Author(s):

Mercedes Díaz-Rodríguez ◽

Celia Pérez-Muñoz ◽

Jesús Carretero-Bravo ◽

Catalina Ruíz-Ruíz ◽

Manuel Serrano-Santamaría ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Body Fat ◽

Early Pregnancy ◽

Body Fat Percentage ◽

Z Score ◽

Fat Percentage ◽

Early Risk ◽

Early Risk Factors ◽

Increased Risk

(1) Background: Obesity is defined as an excessive accumulation of body fat. Several early developmental factors have been identified which are associated with an increased risk of childhood obesity and increased adiposity in childhood. The primary objective of the present study is to analyse the effect of various early risk factors on Body Mass Index (BMI) and body fat percentage at 2 years of age. (2) Methods: A prospective cohort study design was used, with the sample consisting of 109 mother-child pairs from whom data were collected between early pregnancy and 2 years old. Adiposity was determined based on skinfold measurements using the Brooks and Siri formulae. Mean comparison tests (Student’s t-test and ANOVAs) and multiple linear regression models were used to analyse the relationship between early programming factors and dependent variables. (3) Results: Maternal excess weight during early pregnancy (β = 0.203, p = 0.026), gestational smoking (β = 0.192, p = 0.036), and accelerated weight gain in the first 2 years (β = − 0.269, p = 0.004) were significantly associated with high body fat percentage. Pre-pregnancy BMI and accelerated weight gain in the first 2 years were associated with high BMI z-score (β = 0.174, p = 0.047 and β = 0.417, p = 0.000 respectively). The cumulative effect of these variables resulted in high values compared to the baseline zero-factor group, with significant differences in BMI z-score (F = 8.640, p = 0.000) and body fat percentage (F = 5.402, p = 0.002) when three factors were present. (4) Conclusions: The presence of several early risk factors related to obesity in infancy was significantly associated with higher BMI z-score and body fat percentage at 2 years of age. The presence of more than one of these variables was also associated with higher adiposity at 2 years of age. Early prevention strategies should address as many of these factors as possible.

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