Abstract
It is important to identify the developmental antecedents of externalizing behavioral problems in early childhood. The current study examined the main effects of maternal personality and its interactive effects with child temperamental reactivity in predicting child externalizing behavioral problems, indicated by impulsivity and aggression. This study was composed of 70 children (Mage = 17.6 months, SD = 3.73) and their mothers. The results showed that maternal agreeableness was negatively associated with child impulsivity. Child temperamental reactivity moderated the effect of maternal conscientiousness on child impulsivity in support of the differential susceptibility model. Specifically, for highly reactive children, maternal conscientiousness was negatively associated with child impulsivity whereas this association was non-significant for low reactive children. Child reactivity also moderated the contribution of maternal neuroticism to child impulsivity. That is, maternal neuroticism was negatively associated with impulsivity, only for highly reactive children.
Highlights
Parental Personality and Children’s Externalizing Behavioral ProblemsChild externalizing behavioral problems, such as distractibility, impulsivity, and defiance, is an important topic in child development (Cormier, 2008)
The findings revealed that highly reactive girls showed significantly fewer behavioral problems and more prosocial behaviors when fathers were highly involved in childrearing and the opposite held true when fathers were least involved, supporting the differential susceptibility model
Regions of Significance analysis (RoS) analysis showed that the value of proportion of interaction (PoI) = 0.38 and proportion affected (PA) = 0.41, in support of the differential susceptibility model
Summary
Parental Personality and Children’s Externalizing Behavioral Problems. Child externalizing behavioral problems, such as distractibility, impulsivity, and defiance, is an important topic in child development (Cormier, 2008). Epidemiological research suggests that 15–20% children exhibit social, emotional and behavioral problems (Van Hulle et al, 2007). Calkins et al (1999) reported that high levels of externalizing behavioral problems were often precursors to developmental disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Hereby, identifying the developmental antecedents of externalizing behavioral problems in early childhood is crucial in understanding children’s behavioral wellbeing.
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