Child Temperament Research Articles

Direct and Indirect Contributions of Child Temperament, Parenting Stress, and Bedtime Routines to Children’s Sleep Behaviors During the Covid-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT The current study examined the direct and indirect contributions of children’s temperament (reactivity, persistence, and rhythmicity), parenting stress, and bedtime routines to Turkish children’s sleep behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample was 313 mothers of children between 16 and 84 months (M = 52.42, SD = 12.36). Mothers reported their children’s sleep behaviours, children’s bedtime routines, parenting stress, and children’s temperament. Multivariate path analyses were run to test the direct and indirect effects. Results indicated that parenting stress was negatively related to children’s sleep behaviours. Further, it was found that consistency of bedtime routine environments was positively associated with children’s sleep behaviours. For the indirect associations, children’s temperament (rhythmicity and reactivity) was indirectly associated with children’s sleep behaviours via the consistency of bedtime routines. Findings underline the importance of child temperament, parenting stress, and bedtime routines for children’s sleep behaviours. The implications of the findings are discussed in light of previous research and the Bioecological model of human development in considering their functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Individual and joint effects of prenatal PM2.5 and maternal stress on child temperament

Prenatal fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and maternal psychological functioning have been associated with child cognitive outcomes, though their independent and joint impacts on earlier behavioral outcomes remains less studied. We used data from 382 mother-child pairs from a prospective birth cohort in Mexico City. Temperament was measured at 24 months using the Carey Toddler Temperament Scale (TTS). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to update the factor structure of the TTS. During pregnancy, mothers completed the Crisis in Family Systems-Revised, Edinburgh Depression Scale, pregnancy-specific anxiety scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Pregnancy PM2.5 was assessed using estimates from a satellite-based exposure model. We assessed the association between prenatal maternal stress and PM2.5 on temperament, in both independent and joint models. Quantile g-computation was used to estimate the joint associations. Models were adjusted for maternal age, SES, education, child sex, and child age. In EFA, we identified three temperament factors related to effortful control, extraversion, and negative affect. Our main results showed that higher levels of PM2.5 and several of the maternal psychological functioning measures were related to both effortful control and negative affect in the child, both individually and as a mixture. For instance, a one quartile increase in the prenatal mixture was associated with higher negative affect scores in the child (0.34, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.53). We observed modification of these associations by maternal SES, with associations seen only among lower SES participants for both effortful control (−0.45, 95% CI: -0.70, −0.20) and negative affect outcomes (0.60, 95% CI: 0.35, 0.85). Prenatal PM2.5 and maternal psychological functioning measures were associated with toddler temperament outcomes, providing evidence for impacts of chemical and non-chemical stressors on early child health.

English Relationship between mothers' narcissism and the temperament of their children

It was aimed to evaluate the relationship between the narcissism of mothers and the temperament of children which is an important age for personality development. Sample consisted of mothers who wanted to participate in the study and could be reached by using social media (n =470). Young adult mothers with less education living in nuclear families appear to Pathological Narcissism Inventory score higher. The Temperament Scale for Childeren scores of mothers aged 26-35 years were found to be statistically significantly higher than other mothers. The relationship between mothers' narcissism and their children's temperament was found to be significant. It has been observed that there is a relationship between narcissism of mothers and temperaments of children.

Psychological and emotional aspects of children undergoing elective surgery

Within the scope of pediatric surgical care, a multitude of emotional and psychological factors intertwine, especially during the preoperative phase. Both children and their parents are susceptible to a wide range of emotions, including fear, anxiety and stress. In addition, a child's age, temperament, and previous encounters with medical procedures may also influence their emotional reaction to the impending surgery. To analyze through literature how emotional and psychological factors can impact pediatric surgical procedures. This is a literature review designed to highlight what has already been said in the scientific literature about understanding the emotional and psychological aspects of children who undergo elective surgeries. For this, the following inclusion criteria were listed: preferably be from the last five years, be available free of charge in full, be in Portuguese, English or Spanish and the theme be in accordance with the proposal of the article developed. Articles that did not correspond to the classification above were excluded. The emotional and psychological consequences of surgery on children and their families can go beyond the moments before the operation. Research shows that programs designed to mentally prepare children can help lower stress levels during and after surgery. Furthermore, if healthcare professionals take into account the emotional and psychological aspects of pediatric surgical care, this may result in better outcomes and greater satisfaction with the treatment received. By recognizing and meeting the emotional and psychological needs of children and their families, medical professionals can provide a more complete and empathetic level of care. Additionally, there are programs and techniques designed to help children and their families deal with these emotions and prepare for surgery. These programs may include teachings about the surgical procedure, methods for relaxing and strategies for dealing with feelings of anxiety and stress. Due to the aforementioned facts, emotional and psychological factors play a significant role in pediatric surgical care. The preoperative phase is particularly crucial, as anxiety and fear can affect both the child and their parents. It is essential that healthcare providers address these concerns and provide support to alleviate stress and promote a positive experience for everyone involved. By recognizing the emotional and psychological aspects of pediatric surgical care, healthcare providers can ensure that children and their families receive the best care possible.

Child surgency and child aggression: The moderating effect of parental nurturance, emotion coaching, and family income

According to the goodness-of-fit development theory, a mismatch between child characteristics and socialization processes tends to lead to child maladjustment. The present study aimed to examine whether the association between child surgency and child aggression varies as a function of parenting styles and practices such as parental nurturance and parental emotion coaching. In addition, family economic background was examined as a contextual moderator. Cross-sectional questionnaire data were collected from parents and class teachers of 288 preschoolers (Mage = 5.2 years; 53 % were boys) in Hong Kong, China. Separate multilevel models were run to test parental nurturance, emotion coaching, and family income level as moderators. Results indicated that controlling for confounding variables, child surgency was only positively associated with child aggression when parental nurturance was low, but not when parental nurturance was high. However, this pattern only emerged in high- and medium-income families, but not in low-income families. A similar but different pattern was observed for parental emotion coaching: regardless of family income level, child surgency was only associated with child aggression when parental emotion coaching was low, but not when it was high. Theoretically, our findings highlight the importance of considering the fit between child temperament and environmental features, such as parenting and family economic background, in understanding child development. Practically, our findings point to the utility of helping parents to express their love and affection and to talk to their children about managing emotions to reduce aggression in preschool-aged children, especially those with high surgency and economic advantages.

Profile of Your Children's Temperament

Profile of Your Children's Temperament

Child temperament influence on social and emotional development of children in different ECCE centers

Child temperament influence on social and emotional development of children in different ECCE centers

Prenatal buds of conditional regard and autonomy support: Associations with postnatal parenting and child adjustment.

Toddlerhood is a period where issues of autonomy and control in parent-child relationships become particularly intense. In response to these challenges, some parents adopt controlling practices, whereas others are more autonomy supportive. However, research has yet to examine prenatal orientations that foreshadow specific controlling or autonomy-supportive parental practices in toddlerhood and children's socioemotional functioning. In particular, literature on early childhood socialization lacks sufficient evidence on the effects of the controversial controlling practice of parental conditional positive regard. To increase our knowledge on these issues, we examined reports provided by Israeli Jewish mothers during their first pregnancy (N = 294), at 18-month postpartum (N = 226), and when the child was 42 months old (N = 134). To control for child temperament, both parents reported 8-month postpartum (N = 235) on infant temperament dispositions, which may act as precursors of later socioemotional functioning. Structural equations modeling revealed that a general prenatal maternal orientation to use conditional regard as a socialization practice predicted mothers' use of the specific practices of conditional positive and negative regard with toddlers, which then predicted internalizing problems when children reached the age of 42 months. Additionally, a general prenatal orientation toward autonomy-supportive parenting predicted mothers' perspective taking with toddlers, which then predicted children's prosocial behavior at 42 months. The effects emerged also after controlling for infants' temperamental dispositions toward negative emotionality and positive affect. Findings underlie the potential role of prenatal orientations toward conditional regard and autonomy support that, when later transform into specific early parenting practices, may serve as early markers of child socioemotional adjustment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Child inhibited temperament and caregiver distraction encouragement jointly predict children’s delay of gratification competencies

A cool attentional focus during the classic delay of gratification (DG) task involves shifting attention away from the emotion-arousing features and is a key mechanism that underlies children’s ability to resist temptation and wait. Yet, we know relatively little about what gives rise to individual differences in cool focus in the first place. The current study (N = 162, Mage = 6.86 years) addressed this question by focusing on key aspects of child temperament (i.e., behavioral inhibition, BI) and caregiver emotion socialization (i.e., distraction encouragement) as joint predictors of cool focus. We theorized that because children are left alone in an unfamiliar environment for an undefined duration, the DG task would be especially taxing for children higher in BI, hindering their ability to deploy a cool focus and wait. We also reasoned that caregiver encouragement of distraction would serve as a protective factor by allowing children higher in BI to more easily activate a cool focus even when experiencing a taxing task. Results were partially consistent with these hypotheses, shedding new light on precursors to a central ingredient of DG ability.

Child temperament as a longitudinal predictor of mother–adolescent interaction quality: are effects independent of child and maternal mental health?

Adaptive parent–child interaction plays a major role in healthy child development. Caregiver mental health problems can negatively impact parent–child interaction. In turn, interactional quality is often studied as a predictor of child outcome. However, child characteristics supposedly shape parent–child interactions as well. Given associations between child and caregiver mental health and child temperament, this study aimed at differentiating their effects on dyadic interaction quality in adolescence. Child temperament and character at age 5 were investigated as longitudinal predictors of observed mother–adolescent interactional quality at age 14 in a community sample (N = 76). It was examined whether these effects were independent of maternal and child mental health and earlier dysfunctional interaction. Lower novelty seeking, higher reward dependence, and higher cooperativeness separately predicted higher dyadic interactional quality at age 14. Controlling regressions for dysfunctional interaction at age 5, which was a significant negative predictor of later interactional quality, cancelled out the effects of novelty seeking and cooperativeness. Past or concurrent maternal or child psychopathology did not explain variance in mother–adolescent interaction. Applying backward selection, a model including reward dependence and dysfunctional interaction at age 5 and concurrent maternal stress showed the best fit for explaining dyadic interaction quality. Results suggest that enduring rather than transient child features predict interactional quality in a community sample. Effects of temperament are not better explained by those of psychopathology, but a combination of child, maternal, and dyadic features predicted dyadic behaviour best. Selective prevention should target parenting in the context of challenging child characteristics specifically.

Children's task persistence in first grade: The role of parent-child and teacher-child relationships

The present study investigated the extent to which the quality of both parent-child and teacher-child relationships uniquely and interactively relates to a child's task persistence in first grade. Furthermore, the study also examined the role of a child's task persistence in the quality of their relationships with their parents and teachers after controlling for the child's gender, temperament, academic performance, and parental education level. The study followed Lithuanian children from the beginning (T1, n = 337) to the end (T2, n = 341) of first grade, along with their parents (T1, n = 347; T2, n = 323) and first-grade teachers (T1, n = 24; T2, n = 25). At the start of first grade, the children completed reading, spelling, and math (i.e., addition and subtraction) performance tests. The parents and teachers filled out questionnaires at the beginning and end of these students’ first-grade academic year. The parents reported on the quality of their relationships with their children and on their children's temperament, while teachers reported on their relationship quality with each student and their task persistence. First, the results indicated that a conflictual relationship between the students and their teachers was related negatively to subsequent task persistence. Second, the moderation results indicated that if the teacher-child relationship was close, then a close parent-child relationship longitudinally was related positively to the children's task persistence. Third, the results indicated that a child's higher level of task persistence was associated longitudinally with a closer relationship with their first-grade teachers.

How energy balance-related behaviours, temperament, stress and overweight associate: a cross-sectional study of Finnish preschoolers.

This study aimed to (1) examine the clustering of energy balance-related behaviours (EBRB) and (2) investigate whether EBRB clusters, temperament and hair cortisol concentration (HCC) associate with overweight. We assessed food consumption using food records, screen time (ST) using sedentary behaviour diaries, sleep consistency and temperament (negative affectivity, surgency, effortful control) using questionnaires and HCC using hair samples. Accelerometers were used to assess physical activity (PA) intensities, sleep duration and sleep efficiency. Researchers measured each child's weight and height. We used finite mixture models to identify EBRB clusters and multilevel logistic regression models to examine the associations between EBRB clusters, temperament, HCC and overweight. The cross-sectional DAGIS survey, data collected in 2015-2016. Finnish 3-6-year-olds (n 864) recruited through preschools. One-third of the participants were categorised into the cluster labelled 'Unhealthy diet, excessive screen time', characterised by unhealthy dietary choices (e.g. greater consumption of high-fat, high-sugar dairy products) and longer ST. Two-thirds were categorised into the second cluster, labelled 'Healthy diet, moderate screen time'. PA and sleep were irrelevant for clustering. Higher negative affectivity and lower effortful control associated with the 'Unhealthy diet, excessive screen time' cluster. EBRB clusters and HCC did not associate with overweight, but surgency was positively associated with overweight (OR = 1·63, 95 % CI 1·17, 2·25). Of the EBRB, food consumption and ST seem to associate. As temperament associates with EBRB clusters and overweight, tailored support acknowledging the child's temperament could be profitable in maintaining a healthy weight.

Factors associated with contemporary fatherhood.

The most prevalent conceptualization of parenting of our time is intensive parenting which refers to parents' overinvolvement in children's lives, placing the child's needs before others' needs, including the needs of the parents themselves (i.e., Child-centrism). Intensive parenting is mostly attributed to mothers as they are still bearing the bulk responsibility for child rearing. Nevertheless, as the role of fathers changed in recent decades it is crucial to examine intensive parenting among fathers and understand whether factors that are associated with intensive mothering are associated with intensive fatherhood as well. The current study uses Belsky's Process of Parenting model to fill-in the gap. Participants were 301 Israeli fathers of preschool children aged 22 to 50 years old (M=36.34, SD=5.01). They filled out online self-report questionnaires dealing with intensive parenting style, child temperament, social support, marital satisfaction, and parental self-efficacy. The model explained 64% of paternal child-centrism. Fathers who reported having children with more difficult temperament, reported low social support, low marital satisfaction, and low self-efficacy, were more intensive in their parenting style. The present findings are discussed in relation to previous findings regarding maternal child-centrism with an emphasis on their important implications for professionals working with families for the benefit of parents' and children's wellbeing.

Do temperament trajectories from late childhood through adolescence predict success in school? Findings from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin youth.

School achievement has long-term consequences for occupational success, mental health, and overall psychological adjustment. The present study examined the association between temperament trajectories from late childhood through adolescence and academic outcomes during late adolescence and young adulthood. Data come from the California Families Project, a longitudinal study of 674 Mexican-origin youth assessed 12 times from Age 10 to 23, and from school records. Results from latent growth curve models indicate that higher levels of Effortful Control (EC) at Age 10 were associated with better academic achievement (i.e., higher high school grade point average and test scores, greater likelihood of high school graduation and college attendance) in late adolescence and young adulthood. Higher levels of Negative Emotionality (NEM) at Age 10 were associated with worse academic achievement, but this effect did not hold for all facets of NEM. Neither the levels nor slopes of Positive Emotionality (Surgency, Affiliation) consistently predicted school achievement. There were no main effects of the EC or NEM slopes; however, statistically significant interactions between these slopes and parental monitoring emerged. When parental monitoring was low, youth who experienced greater increases in EC (vs. flat or decreasing slopes) had better academic achievement, and youth who experienced greater increases in NEM had worse academic achievement; in contrast, when parents closely monitored their children, changes in EC and NEM were only weakly associated with achievement. Overall, these findings demonstrate that temperament in late childhood, and changes in temperament across adolescence, have important prospective effects on academic achievement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Elevated level of prenatal testosterone and vitamin D3 deficiency during pregnancy, in the presence of prenatal maternal stress, and their association with the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-like symptoms in toddlers.

To investigate the hypothesis that the presence of prenatal maternal stress, increased level of prenatal testosterone, and low level of vitamin D3 in pregnancy is associated with the development of ADHD-like symptoms in toddlers (< 2 years old). The study group comprised 53 pregnant women and 53 infants of these pregnancies. The population cohort of 53 pregnant women were recruited at their 35th to 37th week of pregnancy and investigated prospectively. The participants were selected through targeted selection. Maternal experience of stressful life events was assessed by stress standardised questionnaires, prenatal testosterone was determined in the mothers' saliva by using the immune enzymatic (ELISA) method, and maternal plasma D vitamin was measured using the ECLIA method, during pregnancy. When the age of the offspring was 6 months and then less than 2 years, the mothers completed the child behaviour and temperament checklist. A small but statistically significant association was found between the common symptom complex of ADHD and the level of testosterone and vitamin D3, in the presence of prenatal maternal stress. Multiple regression analysis showed that maternal stressful events during pregnancy significantly predicted ADHD behaviours in offspring. The study supported the hypothesis that prenatal maternal stress, increased level of prenatal testosterone, and low level of vitamin D3 during pregnancy increases the risk of development of ADHD-like symptoms in toddlers (< 2 years old). Also, the obtained results support the hypothesis that the influence of prenatal factors causes ADHD-like symptoms in offspring through a programming effect.

Maternal Parenting Styles and Middle Childhood Temperament Patterns: A Comparison Between Two Social Classes Residing in an Urban Community

Background: Parenting refers to the usual approaches that parents use in child rearing and is one of the many aspects that play a role in the development of both adaptive and maladaptive behavior in children and adolescents. Parenting styles may be authoritarian, authoritative, or permissive. Temperament refers to the stylistic aspect of behavior and individual differences in behavioral characteristics. This study aimed to compare maternal parenting styles and childhood temperamental patterns between two socioeconomic classes. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Sixty mothers from middle and lower socioeconomic status residing in an urban community in Hyderabad were chosen for the study. Data was collected from January to February 2020. Every participant was a mother of two children in the age group 6–12 years. A semi-structured intake proforma was used, along with the Temperament Measurement Schedule and Parental Styles Questionnaire. Factorial ANOVA was used to explore the differences among the different groups. Results: In 76% of the participants, the predominant parenting style was found to be authoritative. Statistically significant differences in parenting styles were seen between the middle and low socioeconomic status groups. Parenting styles differed with the gender of the child. The education of the mother influenced the parenting style. Illiterate participants and participants who did not have at least tenth-grade education had an authoritarian parenting style. Second-born children scored high on the sociability factor compared to firstborn children. The difference between first- and second-born children was statistically significant. Socioeconomic status and the gender of the child had a statistically significant association. Conclusions: Parenting is a complex phenomenon that is influenced by many factors, social class being one such factor.

Maternal aggression and child temperament in families with ARFID children in Indonesia

Aggressive behavior in parenting is a crucial factor for the temperament of children. This study evaluated the relationship between the mother's aggressive behaviors and her children's temperament. The research design applied a cross-sectional survey by using multistage sampling. Two hundred forty-five participants joined this study by responding to a questionnaire. Good aggressive behaviors from caregivers to protect children against physical and psychological harm and danger were observed in mothers aged 26-35 (89.9%) and well-educated mothers (96.8%). The data showed that 4.54 (± 0.912) mothers protect their children from unhealthy foods. The temperament of children was not related to age (p-value = 0.372), mothers' educational background (p = 0.824), and mothers' job status (p = 0.705). Family income had no relation with the child's temperament (p-value = 0.253). There was no relationship between mothers' aggressive behaviors and the temperament of children in avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) child cases. The number of children and the aggressive behavior from the mother affected the child's temperament. This study contributes insight into the interplay between a mother's aggressive behaviors and her children's temperament. Subsequent research could delve deeper into specific factors influencing children's temperament in the ARFID case.

The price of addiction: Pakistani children paying the cost of tobacco use with their temperament.

Madam, Tobacco smoking is a significant public health concern and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 942 million men and 175 million women aged 15 or older smoke tobacco and more than seven million people per annum die due to tobacco usage. In Pakistan, the prevalence of tobacco smoking is reported to be 13.4%, according to the NDSP survey (1) Research has shown that exposure to second and third-hand smoke can adversely effect children’s temperament and neurobehavioral outcomes. For instance, a study using the 2007 NSCH found that children exposed to second or third-hand smoke are at a 50% increased risk of developing neurobehavioral disorders such as ADHD or learning disabilities (2). Furthermore, E. Melinda et al. reported that exposure to tobacco smoke in children led to a statistically significant increase in developmental delay along with depression, intellectual learning and speech disabilities among others. (3) Childhood temperament has also been found to significantly impact adult temperament, as demonstrated by a cohort study that followed children from 3 years onwards to 26 years of age. Children classified as under-controlled at age 3 went on to display irritable, impulsive, emotionally labile, and unpredictable personality traits as adults. Similar correlations were found in children labelled as inhibited. Other temperament groups such as confident, reserved, and well-adjusted did not show significant personality profile changes, but a noticeable continuity was observed in each group (4). To decrease children's exposure to tobacco, parental awareness campaigns may be helpful. An RCT by Viki Myers et al. found that educating parents exploratively about tobacco exposure led to changes in parental smoking behaviour (5). So raising parental cognisance, essentially, can decrease neurobehavioral and temperamental issues in children and ultimately, adults. Hence, continually raising awareness about the detrimental effects of exposing children and individuals to tobacco smoking is a key method to reform a healthy environment for children.

Development, psychometric evaluation, and factor analysis of an instrument measuring quality of life in autistic preschoolers.

Early interventions for autistic children should target their quality of life (QoL) but require adapted measures. The association of a child's temperament and parental characteristics with the QoL of autistic children remains unknown. We constructed an autism module based on a thematic analysis, a Delphi survey with experts, and a pre-test with parents to be completed alongside the proxy version of the PedsQL 4.0. We explored compliance, responsiveness, internal consistency, convergent validity, and factor structure with 157 parents of autistic preschool children. We examined the association between child and parental characteristics with the QoL of autistic children using correlation analysis, principal component analysis, hierarchical ascending classification, and linear regression. Sociodemographic information was collected via multiple choice questions, autism severity via Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)scores, and parental acceptance and child's temperament via the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire and the Emotionality, Activity, and Sociability. An autism module comprised of 27 items emerged. Psychometric evaluation resulted in a 24-item autism module with good internal consistency and significant convergent validity. ADOS total score was not significantly related to QoL, contrary to children's sleep issues, children's emotionality, and parental acceptance. The autism module is a reliable QoL proxy measure for autistic preschool children. Results suggest parental interventions targeting children's QoL.

NILAI-NILAI FILOSOFIS EMOSI SEBAGAI DASAR BIMBINGAN MENTAL ANAK DI SMK PONDOK PESANTREN AL FALLAH LAMPUNG TENGAH

The role of school institutions in the mental formation of children has long been played by formal institutions. Essentially, every school has forms of local wisdom that are inherent and serve as a resilience system in dealing with a variety of problems. What drove this study was the existence of problems that occur in the SMK Ponpes Al Falah: first, the emotional temperament of children that sometimes leads to fatalism. Second, the child conflict that always reappears occurs between fellow friends and between good classmates sons and daughters who always justify the right. Third, the internal conflict in the classroom that sometimes does not end is caused by the individual's emotions being less able to control themselves.Philosophical values become the form of local norms used by the head of school and teachers in school institutions. Using interpretative analysis of data from observations and interviews, the study found that the philosophical values adhered to by the school's institution formed the foundation for addressing a variety of problems. The study found that the philosophical values adhered to by the school institutions form the foundation for addressing a variety of problems. The principal, who also serves as a dynamic force in this study, has important roles to play in terms of socialisation, integration, normative influence, and social control. The use of philosophical values in this article successfully demonstrates that philosophical values as a form of mechanism in mental formation can address social problems in the school environment.