(PS4-B34) Parent Factors and Child Cognitive Functioning as Predictors of Problematic Child Behaviors and Temperament in Preschoolers

Children’s temperament, apparent as early as infancy, is a strong predictor of later behavior, including internalizing and externalizing behavior (Rothbart, 2007). Such behaviors can not only be disruptive in home and school settings but also may interfere with children’s learning and cognitive development during preschool. Furthermore, these problematic behaviors, once established at a young age, may be longstanding throughout elementary school, adolescence, and beyond (Broidy et al., 2003). Thus, examining predictors of child temperament and problematic behaviors among preschoolers can inform early interventions.

Participants included 101 children (66 male, 64 female) and their caregivers. Children were ages 3 to 6 years (M = 4.02, SD = .73), and were identified as either Black (48.5%) or White (46.2%). Caregivers were ages 21 to 47 years (M = 31.19, SD = 5.88), and the majority identified as biological parents (96.2%). Parents completed measures including a Demographic Questionnaire, the Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale (CHAOS; Matheny et al., 1995), assessing home confusion and disorganization; the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI; Derogatis, 1993), assessing caregiver’s psychopathology; Parenting Stress Index, 3rd edition (PSI-3, Abidin, 1995), assessing caregiver’s stress specific to the target child; Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (Shelton et al., 1996), assessing positive and negative parenting practices; Behavior Assessment System for Children-2-Parent Rating Scale (BASC-2-PRS; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004), assessing child externalizing behavior and internalizing behavior; and the Child Behavior Questionnaire (Rothbart et al., 2001). Children were administered Brief Intellectual Ability subtests from the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities, 3rd edition (WJ-III COG; Woodcock et al., 2003), providing an estimate of child cognitive functioning through direct child testing. 

Bivariate correlation analyses were conducted among the parent factors (chaos in the home, caregiver depression, caregiver stress, positive parenting, negative parenting) as well as child cognitive functioning with child behavior (externalizing, internalizing) and child temperament (surgency, negative affect, and effortful control). Results indicated that externalizing behaviors and internalizing behaviors, respectively, related to chaos in the home (r = .31, p = .002 and r = .21, p = .04), caregiver depression(r = .33, p = .001 and r = .38, p < .001), caregiver stress (r = .46, p < .001 and r = .43, p < .001), negative parenting (r = .37, p < .001 and r = .37, p < .001), and child cognitive functioning (r = -.30, p = .01 and r = -.20, p = .09 [trend]). Furthermore, various parenting factors were related to specific temperament characteristics, whereas child cognitive functioning related to effortful control (r = .34, p = .004). 

These results indicate that parenting factors and child cognitive functioning are good predictors of child problematic behaviors and, to a lesser degree, child temperament. Such results provide information for possible points of early intervention among preschoolers.