Correlates of Attachment at School Age: Maternal Reported Stress, Mother-Child Interaction, and Behavior Problems

Abstract The aim was to compare the social skills of preschool and school-age children, considering groups differentiated by behavior problem indicators, according to the assessment performed by parents and teachers. Children of both genders participated in this study. Parents/primary caregivers assessed 194 children and 294 children were assessed by their teachers. The results indicated that, for the parents and teachers, the children without problems were more socially skilled. The gender of the children distinguished the repertoire of social skills, according to their parents, mainly the school-age children. For the teachers, considering both school periods, girls were more socially skilled and, for both parents and teachers, boys presented more behavior problems. These data have implications for assessment and intervention procedures.

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Patterns of mother-child interaction in two-year-old children with externalizing-type behavior problems

Infant Behavior and Development ◽

10.1016/s0163-6383(98)91263-2 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 21 ◽

pp. 48

Author(s):

Cynthia L. Smith ◽

Laura E. Lomax ◽

Susan D. Calkins

Keyword(s):

Behavior Problems ◽

Child Interaction ◽

Mother Child Interaction

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Parenting Behavior at 18 Months Predicts Internalizing and Externalizing Problems at 6 Years in Moderately Preterm and Full Term Children

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17228679 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (22) ◽

pp. 8679

Author(s):

Lisa Oosterom ◽

Lilly Bogičević ◽

Marjolein Verhoeven ◽

Anneloes L. van Baar

Keyword(s):

Behavior Problems ◽

Externalizing Problems ◽

Child Behavior Problems ◽

Parenting Behavior ◽

Attention Problems ◽

Internalizing And Externalizing Problems ◽

Child Interaction ◽

Mother Child Interaction ◽

Moderately Preterm ◽

Internalizing And Externalizing

Moderately preterm born children (MPT) are at increased risk for behavior problems compared to full term born (FT) children. MPT children may receive less optimal parenting, and in response, may develop behavior problems. Our aims were to examine whether parenting behavior and mother–child interaction quality mediate the association between birth status and child behavior problems. Participants were 120 MPT children and 100 FT children. At 18 months of age, mothers reported on their parenting behavior (support and structure), and mother–child interaction (sensitivity and limit-setting) was observed. At 6 years of age, mothers reported on children’s behavior problems. Using structural equation modeling, birth status was found to predict attention problems, but not internalizing and externalizing problems. Mothers of MPT children set less appropriate limits than mothers of FT children at 18 months of age. More maternal structure at 18 months predicted fewer internalizing and externalizing problems, but not attention problems, at 6 years. These associations between parenting behavior, mother–child interaction quality, and child behavior problems were similar for MPT and FT children. Our findings indicate that maternal structure in toddlerhood is an important predictor of later internalizing and externalizing problems for both MPT and FT children.

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Child Meets Child: Social Interaction between School-Age Boys

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1969.28.3.751 ◽

1969 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 751-754

Author(s):

Michael Olpin ◽

Kate L. Kogan

Keyword(s):

Social Interaction ◽

Experimental Situation ◽

School Age ◽

Response Characteristics ◽

Child Interaction ◽

Mother Child Interaction ◽

Specific Individual

A system of recording and analysing interaction, which was originally designed for the study of mother-child interaction was applied to the problem of child-child interaction. The experimental situation involved the first meeting of 2 8-yr.-old boys in a play situation. 5 boys were paired in all possible combinations. Specific individual interactions were analysed on the parameters of dominance, friendliness, and involvement; each S's generalized response characteristics and stimulus characteristics were examined. The contrast between the present findings and the systematic contingencies demonstrated in well-established relationships suggest that this is an effective method for further research.

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Links between children's attachment behavior at early school-age, their attachment-related representations, and behavior problems in middle childhood

International Journal of Behavioral Development ◽

10.1177/0165025408098012 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 155-166 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Ellen Moss ◽

Jean-François Bureau ◽

Marie-Julie Béliveau ◽

Magdalena Zdebik ◽

Suzanne Lépine

Keyword(s):

Behavior Problems ◽

Middle Childhood ◽

Attachment Behavior ◽

School Age ◽

Narrative Story ◽

Early School ◽

The Social ◽

Early School Age ◽

Narrative Performance ◽

And Behavior

The objective of the present study was to examine associations between children's attachment behavior at early school-age, dimensions of narrative performance, and behavior problems as assessed in middle childhood. Children's attachment patterns with mother were assessed at age 6 ( N = 127) using the Main and Cassidy (1988) separation—reunion classification system. Two years later, these children ( N = 109) completed the Narrative Story Stem Battery (Bretherton, Oppenheim, Buchsbaum, Emde, & The MacArthur Narrative Group, 1990), and teachers rated their level of behavior problems using the Social Behavior Questionnaire (Tremblay, Vitaro, Gagnon, Piché, & Royer, 1992). Results indicated that secure children depicted fewer conflict themes in their narratives than did disorganized/controlling children, produced more discipline themes than avoidant children, and had higher coherence scores than ambivalent children. Avoidant children also depicted fewer conflict themes than disorganized/controlling children. Finally, children's narrative conflict themes significantly predicted both level of externalizing and total behavior problems, even after controlling for variance explained by gender and disorganized/controlling attachment behavior. Girls' narratives were more likely to evoke discipline and affection/affiliation themes, and to be more coherent than boys' narratives.

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