Multimethod Longitudinal Assessment of Temperament in Early Childhood

Social versus non-social behavioral inhibition: Differential prediction from early childhood of long-term psychosocial outcomes

Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a temperamental style characterized by cautious and fearful behaviors in novel situations. The present multi-method, longitudinal study examined whether young children's observed and parent-reported BI in social versus non-social contexts predicts different long-term psychosocial outcomes. Participants (N = 279) were drawn from a longitudinal study of socioemotional development. BI in social contexts ("social BI") was measured via children's observed wariness toward unfamiliar adults and peers at 24 and 36 months and parents' reports of children's social fear/shyness at 24, 36, and 48 months. BI in non-social contexts ("non-social BI") was measured via children's observed fearful responses to masks and novel toys, and parents' reports of children's distress to non-social novelty at 9 months and non-social fear at 48 months. At 15 years, anxiety was assessed via adolescent- and parent-reports, and global internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed via parent-reports. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a two-factor model fit the BI data significantly better than a single-factor model, providing evidence for the dissociation of BI in social versus non-social contexts. Social BI was uniquely associated with adolescent social anxiety, whereas non-social BI was specifically associated with adolescent separation anxiety. Neither social BI nor non-social BI predicted global internalizing and externalizing problems, providing evidence for the specific relations between BI and anxiety problems. Together, these results suggest that young children's inhibited responses in social versus non-social situations predict different subtypes of anxiety problems in adolescence, highlighting the multifaceted nature of BI and the divergent trajectories of different anxiety problems.

Convergent neural correlates of prenatal exposure to air pollution and behavioral phenotypes of risk for internalizing and externalizing problems: Potential biological and cognitive pathways

Humans are ubiquitously exposed to neurotoxicants in air pollution, causing increased risk for psychiatric outcomes. Effects of prenatal exposure to air pollution on early emerging behavioral phenotypes that increase risk of psychopathology remain understudied. We review animal models that represent analogues of human behavioral phenotypes that are risk markers for internalizing and externalizing problems (behavioral inhibition, behavioral exuberance, irritability), and identify commonalities among the neural mechanisms underlying these behavioral phenotypes and the neural targets of three types of air pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, traffic-related air pollutants, fine particulate matter < 2.5 µm). We conclude that prenatal exposure to air pollutants increases risk for behavioral inhibition and irritability through distinct mechanisms, including altered dopaminergic signaling and hippocampal morphology, neuroinflammation, and decreased brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression. Future studies should investigate these effects in human longitudinal studies incorporating complex exposure measurement methods, neuroimaging, and behavioral characterization of temperament phenotypes and neurocognitive processing to facilitate efforts aimed at improving long-lasting developmental benefits for children, particularly those living in areas with high levels of exposure.

Child Care in Times of COVID-19: Predictors of Distress in Dutch Children and Parents When Re-entering Center-Based Child Care After a 2-Month Lockdown

As a consequence of the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) child care facilities all over the world were temporarily closed to minimize the spread of the virus. In Netherlands, the first closure lasted for almost 2 months. The return to the child care center after this significant interruption was expected to be challenging, because earlier studies demonstrated that transitions into child care can be stressful for both children and their parents. The current paper retrospectively examined the distress of Dutch children (aged 0-4) and their parents during the first 2 weeks after the reopening of child care centers, and what factors accounted for individual differences in distress. In total, 694 parents filled out an online questionnaire about stress during closure and distress after the reopening of child care centers. Furthermore, questions regarding several demographic variables and child care characteristics were included, as well as questionnaires measuring child temperament, parental separation anxiety, and parental perception of the child care quality. Results showed that younger children and children with parents scoring higher on separation anxiety experienced more distress after the reopening, as reported by parents. Furthermore, children were more distressed upon return when they attended the child care center for less hours per week after the reopening, experienced less stress during closure, and grew up in a one-parent family. With regard to parental distress after the reopening, we found that parents scoring higher on separation anxiety and fear of COVID-19 experienced more distress. Moreover, parents experiencing less stress during closure and mothers were more distressed when the child returned to the child care center. Finally, concurrent child and parental distress after reopening were positively related. The results of the current study may help professional caregivers to identify which children and parents benefit from extra support when children return to the child care center after an interruption. Especially the role that parental separation anxiety played in predicting both child and parental distress deserves attention. More research is required in order to study the underlying mechanisms of these associations and to design appropriate interventions.

Infant gut microbiome composition is associated with non-social fear behavior in a pilot study

Experimental manipulation of gut microbes in animal models alters fear behavior and relevant neurocircuitry. In humans, the first year of life is a key period for brain development, the emergence of fearfulness, and the establishment of the gut microbiome. Variation in the infant gut microbiome has previously been linked to cognitive development, but its relationship with fear behavior and neurocircuitry is unknown. In this pilot study of 34 infants, we find that 1-year gut microbiome composition (Weighted Unifrac; lower abundance of Bacteroides, increased abundance of Veillonella, Dialister, and Clostridiales) is significantly associated with increased fear behavior during a non-social fear paradigm. Infants with increased richness and reduced evenness of the 1-month microbiome also display increased non-social fear. This study indicates associations of the human infant gut microbiome with fear behavior and possible relationships with fear-related brain structures on the basis of a small cohort. As such, it represents an important step in understanding the role of the gut microbiome in the development of human fear behaviors, but requires further validation with a larger number of participants.

Observational measures of early irritability predict children's psychopathology risk

Irritability is a transdiagnostic feature of diverse forms of psychopathology and a rapidly growing literature implicates the construct in child maladaptation. However, most irritability measures currently used are drawn from parent-report questionnaires not designed to measure irritability per se; furthermore, parent report methods have several important limitations. We therefore examined the utility of observational ratings of children's irritability in predicting later psychopathology symptoms. Four-hundred and nine 3-year-old children (208 girls) completed observational tasks tapping temperamental emotionality and parents completed questionnaires assessing child irritability and anger. Parent-reported child psychopathology symptoms were assessed concurrently to the irritability assessment and when children were 5 and 8 years old. Children's irritability observed during tasks that did not typically elicit anger predicted their later depressive and hyperactivity symptoms, above and beyond parent-reported irritability and context-appropriate observed anger. Our findings support the use of observational indices of irritability and have implications for the development of observational paradigms designed to assess this construct in childhood.

Attention Bias and Prodromal Anxiety Symptoms in Toddlers With Fragile X Syndrome and Down Syndrome

Early identification of behavioral risk markers for anxiety is essential to optimize long-term outcomes in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. This study analyzed attentional avoidance and its relation to anxiety and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptomatology during social and nonsocial fear conditions in toddlers with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and Down syndrome (DS). Toddlers with FXS and DS exhibited increased nonsocial attentional avoidance relative to typically developing (TD) toddlers. Attentional avoidance was not related to anxiety symptom severity in any group; however, higher ASD symptom severity was related to more social attentional avoidance in the FXS and TD groups. Findings suggest that there may be different underlying mechanisms driving attentional avoidance across neurodevelopmental disorders.

Sensory processing and cortisol at age 4 years: Procedural pain-related stress in children born very preterm

Children born preterm display altered sensory processing, which may manifest as hyper- and/or hypo-sensitivity to sensory information. In this vulnerable population, exposure to neonatal pain-related stress is associated with altered stress regulation, as indexed by alterations in cortisol levels. It is unknown whether sensory processing behaviors are also affected by early life adversity, and whether dysregulated cortisol is related to sensory processing problems in preterm children. We examined relationships between neonatal pain-related stress, sensory processing profiles and cortisol levels at age 4 years, and whether pathways were sex-specific. In a longitudinal prospective cohort study, N = 146 infants born 24-32 weeks gestational age were recruited from BC Women's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada; neonatal factors were collected from daily chart review. At age 4 years, saliva to assay cortisol was collected three times across cognitive assessment (pre-test, during, end) and parents completed the Short Sensory Profile questionnaire. Using generalized linear modeling, independent of other neonatal factors, higher number of invasive procedures (pain/stress) was associated with more sensory processing problems (total, hypo- and hyper-sensitivity) for girls only. After accounting for neonatal factors, greater cortisol output across the assessment was associated with more total sensory processing problems in girls only, and hypersensitivity to sensory input in both boys and girls. Findings suggest that in children born very preterm, how a child responds to sensory input and cortisol reactivity to stress are related but may have different precursors. Girls may be somewhat more susceptible to neonatal pain-related stress exposure in relation to sensory processing at preschool age.

Transactional development of parent personality and child temperament

Stability and change in parental extraversion and neuroticism were studied in transaction with their views of their child's temperament from the age of six months to the age of five‐and‐a‐half years in 109 mother–father–child triads (parent–daughter: n = 61, parent–son: n = 48). While parental traits showed high stability, infants' higher positive affectivity predicted an increase in parental extraversion over 5 years, and infant's higher activity predicted a decrease in parental neuroticism. Parent‐rated temperament showed expected heterotypic continuity. Initially higher parental extraversion predicted an increase in the child's effortful control, and higher parental neuroticism predicted an increase in the child's negative affectivity. The results indicate that parental personality and child temperament develop in transaction promoting change in each other. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evidence for two genetically distinct pathways to co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescence characterized by negative affectivity or behavioral inhibition

Unique pathways to adolescents' co-occurring internalizing/externalizing problems, a severe and common form of psychopathology, remain poorly delineated; this paucity of knowledge impedes the development of personalized interventions. We examined established measures of genetic risk and early childhood temperamental dimensions to clarify potentially distinct pathways to adolescents' co-occurring internalizing/externalizing problems. Participants were drawn from a longitudinal randomized controlled trial of a family-based intervention. The study employed multiple informants and methods, including observer ratings of toddlers' negative affectivity and behavioral inhibition, and primary caregiver ratings of toddlers' inhibitory control; internalizing and aggression polygenic risk scores (PRS) based on prior meta-genome-wide association studies (GWAS); and parents' and teachers' reports of adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems. Higher levels of the aggression PRS indirectly predicted primary caregiver- and teacher-reported co-occurring problems relative to all other groups through greater early childhood negative affectivity. Lower levels of the aggression PRS and higher levels of the internalizing PRS indirectly predicted co-occurring problems relative to the externalizing "only" and low problem groups (primary caregivers only) through greater early childhood behavioral inhibition. Findings suggest two different genetic pathways to co-occurring problems that could lead to distinct prevention and intervention efforts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Maternal report of infant negative affect predicts attenuated brain response to own infant

Parent-infant interaction is known to be influenced bidirectionally by parent and infant characteristics. However, it is unclear whether infant temperament affects parents' neural responses to infant stimuli. 85 infants (6-12 months) were filmed in distress-eliciting tasks, which were coded for infants' negative affect. Mothers' reported infant affect was obtained from the Infant Behavior Questionnaire Very Short Form-Revised. Mothers' EEG activity was recorded while passively viewing photos of own, familiarized, and unfamiliar infants. Multiple regression indicated that mothers who reported greater infant negative affect showed a smaller difference in the late positive potential (LPP) response to own infant versus familiarized infant, controlling for researcher-coded infant negative affect. The findings suggest that parents' perceptions of their infant's temperament, but not independent measures of infant temperament, are related to electrocortical indices of emotional attention.

Temperament Is Associated With Outdoor Free Play in Young Children: A TARGet Kids! Study

OBJECTIVE

Outdoor free play is important for preschoolers' physical activity, health, and development. Certain temperamental characteristics are associated with obesity, nutrition, and sedentary behaviors in preschoolers, but the relationship between temperament and outdoor play has not been examined. This study examined whether there is an association between temperament and outdoor play in young children.

METHODS

Healthy children aged 1 to 5 years recruited to The Applied Research Group for Kids (TARGet Kids!), a community-based primary care research network, from July 2008 to September 2013 were included. Parent-reported child temperament was assessed using the Childhood Behavior Questionnaire. Outdoor free play and other potential confounding variables were assessed through validated questionnaires. Multivariable linear regression was used to determine the association between temperament and outdoor play, adjusted for potential confounders.

RESULTS

There were 3393 children with data on outdoor play. The association between negative affectivity and outdoor play was moderated by sex; in boys, for every 1-point increase in negative affectivity score, mean outdoor play decreased by 4.7 minutes per day. There was no significant association in girls. Surgency was associated with outdoor play; for every 1-point increase in surgency/extraversion, outdoor play increased by 4.6 minutes per day.

CONCLUSIONS

Young children's temperamental characteristics were associated with their participation in outdoor free play. Consideration of temperament could enhance interventions and strategies to increase outdoor play in young children. Longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate the relationship between children's early temperament and physical activity.

The stability of temperament from early childhood to early adolescence: A multi-method, multi-informant examination

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 9 years later, children and both parents completed questionnaire measures of similar temperament constructs. Zero-order correlations revealed greater within- than cross-informant stability. In addition, compared to 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.

Positive Affectivity and Fear Trajectories in Infancy: Contributions of Mother-Child Interaction Factors

Fear and positive emotionality were considered in a growth modeling context. Mothers, primarily Caucasian (91.9%) and of middle socioeconomic status, participated in play interactions with infants at 4 months (N = 148). Infant fear and positive affectivity were evaluated at 6, 8, 10, and 12 months of age. A linear trajectory was superior in explaining growth for parent report and observation-based indicators of positive affectivity and parent report of fearfulness; a piecewise model explained the nonlinear growth of observation-based fear. Responsiveness in mother-infant interactions emerged as a significant predictor of the fear trajectory, with higher sensitivity predicting lower levels of observed fear. Reciprocity, tempo, emotional tone, and intensity of mother-infant interactions also made significant contributions to temperament development; however, analyses addressing these were exploratory.

Parents' behavioral inhibition moderates association of preschoolers' BI with risk for age 9 anxiety disorders

BACKGROUND

Temperamental behavioral inhibition (BI) in children predicts later anxiety disorders. However, many children with BI do not develop anxiety disorders, suggesting the importance of identifying moderating factors. The current study examined whether parents' history of BI moderates the associations between preschoolers' BI and anxiety disorders at age 9.

METHODS

The sample was 392 children and their parents from the community. Child BI was measured at age 3 using observational (Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery; Lab-TAB) and parent report (Behavior Inhibition Questionnaire; BIQ) measures. In addition, both parents reported on their own history of childhood BI using the Retrospective Measure of Behavioral Inhibition (RMBI). When the children were 9 years old, a parent and the child were interviewed using the Kiddie Schedule for the Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia - Present and Lifetime version (K-SADS-PL).

RESULTS

Parents' reports of their own BI moderated the associations of both observed and parent-reported child BI at age 3 with children's anxiety disorders at age 9. Among children whose parents reported having had higher childhood BI, those who exhibited high BI at age 3 were more likely to meet criteria for anxiety disorders at age 9.

LIMITATIONS

The major limitation is the use of a retrospective measure of parental BI.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrate that parents' histories of childhood BI moderate the association between their young children's BI and subsequent anxiety disorders. Thus, parental BI appears to identify a subgroup of BI children at particularly high risk for developing anxiety disorders by late childhood.

Heart rate variability indices as bio-markers of top-down self-regulatory mechanisms: A meta-analytic review

Theoretical perspectives posit that heart-rate variability (HRV) reflects self-regulatory capacity and therefore can be employed as a bio-marker of top-down self-regulation (the ability to regulate behavioral, cognitive, and emotional processes). However, existing findings of relations between self-regulation and HRV indices are mixed. To clarify the nature of such relations, we conducted a meta-analysis of 123 studies (N=14,347) reporting relations between HRV indices and aspects of top-down self-regulation (e.g., executive functioning, emotion regulation, effortful control). A significant, albeit small, effect was observed (r=0.09) such that greater HRV was related to better top-down self-regulation. Differences in relations were negligible across aspects of self-regulation, self-regulation measurement methods, HRV computational techniques, at-risk compared with healthy samples, and the context of HRV measurement. Stronger relations were observed in older relative to younger samples and in published compared to unpublished studies. These findings generally support the notion that HRV indices can tentatively be employed as bio-markers of top-down self-regulation. Conceptual and theoretical implications, and critical gaps in current knowledge to be addressed by future work, are discussed.

Temperament Traits and Psychopathology in Young Clinically Referred Children Compared to a General Population Sample

Evidence from general population studies shows the contribution of various temperament traits to the development of child psychopathology. Little is known about which traits are associated with internalizing and externalizing problems in young clinically referred children. The current study assessed temperament and internalizing and externalizing problems in 216 referred children (M = 4.35 years, SD 0.89, 81% boys). A comparison was made with an age and gender matched general population sample. Referred children showed less effortful control than general population children. Less effortful control and more negative affectivity were associated with more internalizing and externalizing problems across groups. Surgency, and specifically temperamental impulsivity, was more strongly associated with externalizing problems in referred children compared to general population. Less soothability, less inhibitory control and more frustration predicted (sub)clinical levels of comborbid internalizing and externalizing problems in referred children. The results can be used in diagnostic and treatment procedures in early childhood.

Relations of Positive and Negative Expressivity and Effortful Control to Kindergarteners' Student-Teacher Relationship, Academic Engagement, and Externalizing Problems at School

The current study examined the role of naturally-occurring negative and positive emotion expressivity in kindergarten and children's effortful control (EC) on their relationships with teachers, academic engagement, and problems behaviors in school. Further, the potential moderating role of EC on these important school outcomes was assessed. Emotion and engagement were observed at school. EC was assessed by multiple methods. Teachers reported on their student-teacher relationships and student's externalizing behaviors. Children's emotion expressivity and EC were related to engagement and relationships with teachers as well as behavioral problems at school. Children low in EC may be particularly vulnerable to the poor outcomes associated with relatively intense emotion expressivity as they struggle to manage their emotions and behaviors in the classroom.

A Trio of Concerns

This essay assesses the two most significant changes in psychology over the past century: the attempt to localize psychological phenomena in restricted brain sites and the search for genetic contributions to behavior and psychopathology. Although there are advantages to these new developments, they are accompanied by some questionable assumptions. Because the investigators in these domains often relate variation in their biological measures to variation in personality traits evaluated with questionnaires, an analysis of the unique properties of the verbalreport questionnaires is presented. It is suggested that future research on human personality should try to combine semantic reports with behaviors and biological data in order to arrive at more fruitful constructs.

Positive Parenting Interacts with Child Temperament and Negative Parenting to Predict Children's Socially Appropriate Behavior

This study examined the effects of parents' positive and negative affect and behavior while interacting with their preschool child and the moderating role of child temperament in predicting children's subsequent difficulty with socially appropriate behavior around school-entry. Independent observational measures were used to assess child temperament (dysphoria; exuberance) and parenting at age 3, and multi-informant reports of child socially appropriate behavior were collected at age 6 (N = 219). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that children's temperamental dysphoria moderated the relationship between positive parenting and later socially appropriate behavior. High- and low-dysphoric children trended in opposite directions; highly dysphoric children experienced greater difficulty with socially appropriate behavior as levels of positive parenting increased, whereas low-dysphoric children experienced less difficulty with socially appropriate behavior with higher levels of positive parenting. There was also an interaction between positive and negative parenting, whereby the combination of elevated positive and negative parenting predicted children's later difficulty with socially appropriate behavior. The findings suggest that positive parenting interacts with early child temperament and negative parenting to impact the development of children's socially appropriate behavior.

The structural and rank-order stability of temperament in young children based on a laboratory-observational measure

It is generally assumed that temperament traits exhibit structural and rank-order stability over time. Most of the research on structural and rank-order stability has relied on parent-report measures. The present study used an alternative approach, a laboratory-observational measure (Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery [Lab-TAB]), to examine the structural and rank-order stability of temperament traits in a community sample of young children (N = 447). Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we found that a similar 5-factor structure consisting of the dimensions of positive affect (PA)/interest, sociability, dysphoria, fear/inhibition, and impulsivity versus constraint provided an adequate fit to the data at both age 3 and 6 years, suggesting good structural stability. Moreover, all 5 latent factors exhibited significant, albeit modest, rank-order stability from age 3 to 6. In addition, there were significant heterotypic associations of age-3 sociability with age-6 PA/interest, and age-3 impulsivity versus constraint with age-6 fear/inhibition.

Child Behavior Questionnaire-Short Form for Teachers: Informant Correspondences and Divergences

Discrepancies among independent sources of information about presumably identical constructs argue against reliance on a single perspective. To fill the need for temperament questionnaires for teacher and parent informants, we adapted the popular parent/caregiver Child Behavior Questionnaire-Short Form for preschool and kindergarten teachers. Informant correspondences were low as expected, but patterns were consistent with hypotheses drawn from person perception models. Internal consistencies of the teacher scales were adequate, comparing favorably with those of parent-rated scales. Anticipated relations of temperament scales emerged with social competence and tasks of executive attention for both parent and teacher informants. Confirmatory factor analyses conducted separately for parent and teacher scales supported the familiar three-factor model when allowances were made for cross-loadings and correlated errors. A multigroup confirmatory factor analyses with parent and teacher data indicated that the factor structures of the two questionnaires are similar but not equivalent.

Social and non-social fear in preschoolers and prospective associations with lying about cheating

Little is known about the development of children’s lying. The present study examined whether observed social and non-social fear in preschoolers predicts children’s consistent cheating ( N = 460; M = 4.3 years of age) and consistent lying about cheating. When left alone, 155 (34%) children cheated in both games conducted. Of these consistently cheating children, 54 (35%) children lied about their cheating after both games, whereas the remaining 101 children confessed to cheating after at least one game. Children’s temperamental fear did not predict consistent cheating. However, non-social (but not social) fear did predict consistent lying. Children with lower levels of non-social fear were more likely to lie. These findings suggest that non-social fear plays a role in the development of children’s antisocial lying.

Fathers' challenging parenting behavior prevents social anxiety development in their 4-year-old children: a longitudinal observational study

Recent models on parenting propose different roles for fathers and mothers in the development of child anxiety. Specifically, it is suggested that fathers' challenging parenting behavior, in which the child is playfully encouraged to push her limits, buffers against child anxiety. In this longitudinal study, we explored whether the effect of challenging parenting on children's social anxiety differed between fathers and mothers. Fathers and mothers from 94 families were separately observed with their two children (44 % girls), aged 2 and 4 years at Time 1, in three structured situations involving one puzzle task and two games. Overinvolved and challenging parenting behavior were coded. Child social anxiety was measured by observing the child's response to a stranger at Time 1, and half a year later at Time 2, and by parental ratings. In line with predictions, father's challenging parenting behavior predicted less subsequent observed social anxiety of the 4-year-old child. Mothers' challenging behavior, however, predicted more observed social anxiety of the 4-year-old. Parents' overinvolvement at Time 1 did not predict change in observed social anxiety of the 4-year-old child. For the 2-year-old child, maternal and paternal parenting behavior did not predict subsequent social anxiety, but early social anxiety marginally did. Parent-rated social anxiety was predicted by previous parental ratings of social anxiety, and not by parenting behavior. Challenging parenting behavior appears to have favorable effects on observed 4-year-old's social anxiety when displayed by the father. Challenging parenting behavior emerges as an important focus for future research and interventions.

Children’s emotional expressivity and teacher perceptions of social competence

Previous research suggests that adult perceptions of children’s social competence may vary depending on the socialization goals in a given cultural context. There is also ample evidence of cultural differences in values concerning emotional display, with East Asian collectivistic contexts favoring restraint and Western individualistic contexts favoring open expression of internal states. The present study examined an individualistic versus collectivistic comparison in the links between children’s emotional expressivity and teacher evaluations of their social competence. A sample of 127 Korean, Asian American (AA) and European American (EA) preschoolers participated in emotion eliciting tasks and were rated by their teachers on three dimensions of social competence (peer acceptance, prosocial behavior, and antisocial behavior). Moderation analyses revealed that for Korean children, sadness and happiness expressivity were associated with higher antisocial behavior scores, but these associations were reversed or not significant for EAs. For AA children, anger display was associated with lower ratings of peer acceptance and prosocial behavior, but this link did not hold for their EA counterparts. Overall, there was some support for the hypotheses that expressivity was related to lower teacher perceptions of child social competence for a collectivistic group (AA and Korean) but not for an individualistic group (EA). Thus, these findings indicate cultural group differences in teacher perceptions and values of children’s emotion expressivity.

Stability of child behavioral style in the first 30 months of life

The current study examined the stability of temperament over time. Observers and mothers rated child behavior at eight timepoints across three assessment waves (8, 15, and 30 months of age). Internal consistency reliability of aggregates of the eight observer reports and eight mother reports were high. When considering single timepoint assessments, stability of temperament between assessment waves was generally low to moderate in magnitude. When the eight observations were aggregated, rather than when single timepoints were considered, between-wave stability of temperament increased. Mother reports of temperament were generally more stable than observer reports. Results have important methodological implications and suggest multiple observations of child behavior within a single developmental period are necessary to evaluate the stability of temperament over time.

Identifying Early Childhood Personality Dimensions Using the California Child Q-Set and Prospective Associations With Behavioral and Psychosocial Development

The present study used an empirical, "bottom-up" approach to delineate the structure of the California Child Q-Set (CCQ), a comprehensive set of personality descriptors, in a sample of 373 preschool-aged children. This approach yielded two broad trait dimensions, Adaptive Socialization (emotional stability, compliance, intelligence) and Anxious Inhibition (emotional/behavioral introversion). Results demonstrate the value of using empirical derivation to investigate the structure of personality in young children, speak to the importance of early-evident personality traits for adaptive development, and are consistent with a growing body of evidence indicating that personality structure in young children is similar, but not identical to, that in adults, suggesting a model of broad personality dimensions in childhood that evolve into narrower traits in adulthood.

Constructive and Destructive Marital Conflict, Parenting, and Children's School and Social Adjustment

This study addresses the links between destructive and constructive marital conflict and mothers' and fathers' parenting to understand associations with children's social and school adjustment. Multi-method, longitudinal assessments of 235 mothers, fathers, and children (129 girls) were collected across kindergarten, first, and second grades (ages 5-7 at Time 1; ages 7-9 at Time 3). Whereas constructive marital conflict was related to both mothers' and fathers' warm parenting, destructive marital conflict was only linked to fathers' use of inconsistent discipline. In turn, both mothers' and fathers' use of psychological control was related to children's school adjustment, and mothers' warmth was related to children's social adjustment. Reciprocal links between constructs were also explored, supporting associations between destructive marital conflict and mothers' and fathers' inconsistent discipline. The merit of examining marital conflict and parenting as multidimensional constructs is discussed in relation to understanding the processes and pathways within families that affect children's functioning.

Young Chinese children’s anger and distress

A hierarchical cluster analysis of the time course of the videotaped reactions of 75 Chinese 2–4-year olds to mothers’ toy-removal identified Distress, Low Anger, and High Anger behavior clusters. Anger often begins at low intensity; some children then escalate. The face-validity of Low and High Anger-cluster classifications was supported in that High Anger was displayed by a subset of the children who had first showed Low Anger. The three clusters had different and interpretable correlations with mothers’ temperament ratings. Developmentally, 2-year-olds displayed more Distress, including crying; 3-year-olds showed more Low Anger, including stamp-jump. While Low Anger is predominant during toy-removal in Chinese children, it is, contrastingly, the least-frequent component in the tantrums of North American children.

Agreement among physical educators, teachers and parents on children's behaviors: a multitrait-multimethod design approach

The study examines the agreement among raters on children's problematic behaviors. A multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) matrix was applied to a normative sample of elementary school-aged children (N = 841). The participants were rated by their physical educators, using the Motor Behavior Checklist for children (MBC; Efstratopoulou, Janssen, & Simons, 2012). Teachers and parents rated the same students using the Teacher Report Form (TRF; Achenbach, 1991b), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach, 1991a) and the ADHD Rating Scale-IV (DuPaul, Power, Anastopoulos, & Reid, 1998). The resulting matrix revealed significant correlations for the Rules Breaking, Lack of Attention, Hyperactivity/Impulsivity, Lack of Social interaction problem scale and for the Internalizing, Externalizing and Total scores. Convergent validity of the specific MBC subscales was supported by significant correlations with the corresponding subscales of TRF, CBCL and ADHD Rating Scale-IV. Findings underscore the importance of taking child's settings and observer influences into account and suggest that MBC is a new promising instrument that can provide valid ratings on externalizing behavior and social problems in children when used by physical educators in school settings.

Temperament and Common Disruptive Behavior Problems in Preschool

The study evaluated trait associations with common Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), during an understudied developmental period: Preschool. Participants were 109 children ages 3 to 6 and their families. DBD symptoms were available via parent and teacher/caregiver report on the Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale. Traits were measured using observational coding paradigms, and parent and examiner report on the Child Behavior Questionnaire and the California Q-Sort. The DBD groups exhibited significantly higher negative affect, higher surgency, and lower effortful control. Negative affect was associated with most DBD symptom domains; surgency and reactive control were associated with hyperactivity-impulsivity; and effortful control was associated with ADHD and inattention. Interactive effects between effortful control and negative affect and curvilinear associations of reactive control with DBD symptoms were evident. Temperament trait associations with DBD during preschool are similar to those seen during middle childhood. Extreme levels of temperament traits are associated with DBD as early as preschool.

The Children's Behavior Questionnaire very short scale: psychometric properties and development of a one-item temperament scale

Little research has been conducted on the psychometrics of the very short scale (36 items) of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire, and no one-item temperament scale has been tested for use in applied work. In this study, 237 United States caregivers completed a survey to define their child's behavioral patterns (i.e., Surgency, Negative Affectivity Effortful Control) using both scales. Psychometrics of the 36-item Children's Behavior Questionnaire were examined using classical test theory, principal factor analysis, and item response modeling. Classical test theory analysis demonstrated adequate internal consistency and factor analysis confirmed a three-factor structure. Potential improvements to the measure were identified using item response modeling. A one-item (three response categories) temperament scale was validated against the three temperament factors of the 36-item scale. The temperament response categories correlated with the temperament factors of the 36-item scale, as expected. The one-item temperament scale may be applicable for clinical use.

The structure of temperament in preschoolers: a two-stage factor analytic approach

The structure of temperament traits in young children has been the subject of extensive debate, with separate models proposing different trait dimensions. This research has relied almost exclusively on parent-report measures. The present study used an alternative approach, a laboratory observational measure, to explore the structure of temperament in preschoolers. A 2-stage factor analytic approach, exploratory factor analyses (n = 274) followed by confirmatory factor analyses (n = 276), was used. We retrieved an adequately fitting model that consisted of 5 dimensions: Sociability, Positive Affect/Interest, Dysphoria, Fear/Inhibition, and Constraint versus Impulsivity. This solution overlaps with, but is also distinct from, the major models derived from parent-report measures.

Longitudinal stability of temperamental exuberance and social-emotional outcomes in early childhood

The goals of the current study were to investigate the stability of temperamental exuberance across infancy and toddlerhood and to examine the associations between exuberance and social-emotional outcomes in early childhood. The sample consisted of 291 4-month-olds followed at 9, 24, and 36 months and again at 5 years of age. Behavioral measures of exuberance were collected at 9, 24, and 36 months. At 36 months, frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry was assessed. At 5 years, maternal reports of temperament and behavior problems were collected, as were observational measures of social behavior during an interaction with an unfamiliar peer in the laboratory. Latent profile analysis revealed a high, stable exuberance profile that was associated with greater ratings of 5-year externalizing behavior and surgency, as well as observed disruptive behavior and social competence with unfamiliar peers. These associations were particularly true for children who displayed left frontal EEG asymmetry. Multiple factors supported an approach bias for exuberant temperament but did not differentiate between adaptive and maladaptive social-emotional outcomes at 5 years of age.

Social and non-social behavioral inhibition in preschool-age children: differential associations with parent-reports of temperament and anxiety

Behavioral inhibition (BI) has generally been treated as a unitary construct and assessed by combining ratings of fear, vigilance, and avoidance to both novel social and non-social stimuli. However, there is evidence suggesting that BI in social contexts is not correlated with BI in non-social contexts. The present study examined the distinction between social and non-social BI in a community sample of 559 preschool-age children using a laboratory assessment of child temperament, a diagnostic interview, and parent-completed questionnaires. Social and non-social BI were not significantly correlated and exhibited distinct patterns of associations with parent reports of temperament and anxiety symptoms. This study suggests that BI is heterogeneous, and that distinguishing between different forms of BI may help account for the variation in trajectories and outcomes exhibited by high BI children.

How temperament and personality contribute to the maladjustment of children with autism

To test the spectrum hypothesis--postulating that clinical and non-clinical samples are primarily differentiated by mean-level differences--, this study evaluates differences in parent-rated temperament, personality and maladjustment among a low-symptom (N = 81), a high-symptom (N = 94) ASD-group, and a comparison group (N = 500). These classic spectrum hypothesis tests are extended by adding tests for similarity in variances, reliabilities and patterns of covariation between relevant variables. Children with ASD exhibit more extreme means, except for dominance. The low- and high-symptom ASD-groups are primarily differentiated by mean sociability and internal distress. Striking similarities in reliability and pattern of covariation of variables suggest that comparable processes link traits to maladaptation in low- and high-symptom children with ASD and in children with and without autism.

Health Measurement in Population Surveys: Combining Information from Self-reported and Observer-Measured Health Indicators

Our primary aim is to develop and validate a population health metric for survey-based health assessment that combines information from both self-reported and observer-measured health indicators. A secondary objective is to use this index to examine gender and socioeconomic differentials in the health status of older people. We use data from the second wave of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) conducted in 2004 (N = 8,870). Information from three observer-measured and three self-reported health indicators was combined, using a latent variable modeling approach. A model that decomposed the manifest health indicators to valid health, systematic error, and random error was found to fit the data best. The latent health dimension represented somatic health, and was tested against three external criteria: height, waist-hip ratio, and smoking status. We present the Latent Index of Somatic Health (LISH), as well as a procedure for deriving the LISH in surveys employing both self- and observer-measured health indicators. Observer-measured and self-reported indicators were found to be equally biased in indexing population somatic health, with the exception of self-reports of functional limitations, which was the most reliable somatic health indicator. As expected, results showed that women had worse health than men and that socioeconomic advantage is associated with better somatic health.

Context specificity in stability of hyperactivity-impulsivity

This paper exemplifies a secondary data analysis of context-specific differences in children's hyperactivity-impulsivity while controlling for informant-specific effects. Participants were boys and girls from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development who were measured in 1(st), 3(rd), and 5(th) grades. Latent factor models were structured using multi-informant reports including mothers, fathers, teachers, and observers. Temporal stability within a context was stronger than cross-context consistency, and the magnitude of longitudinal stability was higher in the home context compared to the school context. Controlling for informant-specific effects resulted in a significantly improved model fit and increased within-context stability. Our findings highlight the importance of considering both context and informant effects when studying longitudinal stability and change in personality development.

The structure of effortful control in preschoolers and its relation to externalizing problems

The first aim of the present study was to examine the structure of effortful control. The second aim was to determine whether components of effortful control relate to conduct problems and hyperactivity. Effortful control was measured in 3-year-old children (N= 89) with an observational measure, the effortful control battery (ECB), and a parent report, the Children's Behaviour Questionnaire (CBQ). Principal component analysis showed that the ECB measures five components, assessing two higher-order constructs, which can be labelled as Self-Control and Attention/Motor Control. The five scales of the CBQ appeared to measure one construct - a more general measure of effortful control. The components and constructs of the ECB as well as the scales of the CBQ were differently related to conduct problems and hyperactivity. Conduct problems were most strongly predicted by observed Delay of Gratification and parent-reported Inhibitory Control, whereas Hyperactivity was most strongly predicted by observed Delay of Gratification, and the higher-order construct Attention/Motor Control, as well as parent-reported Attentional Focusing and Inhibitory Control. It is important to keep in mind that effortful control is composed of heterogeneous components, all having their own unique values.

Temperament and Maternal Emotion Socialization Beliefs as Predictors of Early Childhood Social Behavior in the Laboratory and Classroom

OBJECTIVE

We examined the roles of children's approach behavior and maternal emotion socialization practices in the development of social behavior in unfamiliar and familiar contexts from preschool to early childhood years.

DESIGN

At 4.5 years of age, children were observed, and an assessment of approach behavior was obtained; at this time, mothers reported about their emotion socialization beliefs. Two years later, children returned to the laboratory to participate in a peer play paradigm. When children were 7 years of age, teachers completed a questionnaire about children's social behaviors in the classroom.

RESULTS

Mothers' emotion socialization beliefs contribute to the developmental outcomes of approach behavior. For instance, observations of approach behaviors predicted a greater proportion of group play in the unfamiliar peer group when mothers reported highly supportive emotion socialization beliefs.

CONCLUSION

Mothers' emotion socialization beliefs appear to play an important role in modifying the developmental course of approach behavior during early childhood.