Poster #206 - Investigating Temperament Origins of Behavior Problems: Contributions of Fear and Anger in Infancy

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

Childhood behavior problems have been linked with significant long-term difficulties (Masten et al., 2005; McLeod & Fettes, 2007). Unmet needs for services resulting from early behavior problems are of considerable concern, with only about 25% of children experiencing functional impairment able to gain access to needed interventions (Mash & Wolfe, 2010). Childhood behavior problems are typically framed in terms of externalizing - under-controlled, “acting-out” behaviors, conduct difficulties, hyperactivity, and impulsivity (Campbell, 1995), and internalizing, which involve personal distress (e.g., sadness/depression, worry/anxiety) and/or reactions indicative of emotional over-control (Achenbach, 1966; Rothbart, 2011). Internalizing difficulties can also be described as affective in nature, whereas externalizing problems have been defined by dysregulation of behavior (Kovacs & Devlin, 1998).

An extensive literature links temperament with internalizing and externalizing symptoms in childhood. Importantly, differential predictive relationships have been noted for fear vs. anger related components. Whereas anger/frustration predicted externalizing, or both internalizing and externalizing problems, fear and sadness were noted to make more substantial contributions to internalizing difficulties (Lengua, 2006; Nigg, 2006; Oldenhinkel, Hartman, de Winter, Veenstra & Ormel, 2004). Parent characteristics and aspect of parent-child interactions contribute to onset of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, with both depressive and anxiety symptoms shown to compromise child behavioral/emotional functioning (Meadows, McLanahan, & Brooks‐Gunn, 2007). We also considered the extent to which parents structured activities with infants, or directed interactions/exchanges, expecting a protective function of this scaffolding-like indicator (Leve & Fagot, 1997).

Mothers and infants from Eastern Washington/Northwestern Idaho (N=148) were recruited through birth announcements as well as the primary prevention program, First Steps. Only families with healthy infants were eligible to participate. Mothers complete symptom surveys when infants were 4 months, responding to questions regarding infant temperament and participating in mother-infant interactions at 6 and 12 months of age. A follow-up evaluation addressing emerging behavior problems was conducted at 24 months of age, with 85 of original families (46 male and 39 female children) responding to the follow-up surveys. Non-participants either declined to continue with the study (n=23) or could not be reached (n=40), in that either the telephone number had been disconnected or the family did not respond to recruitment calls/letters. We anticipated mothers’ direction of interactions with the infant to mediate effects of parental symptoms and infant temperament.

All 4 models considered in this study demonstrated good fit, judged on the bases of multiple indicators. Results reflect a complex interplay between parent characteristics, mother-infant interaction quality, infant temperament and emerging behavior problems. For externalizing problems, neither fear nor anger accounted for significant variance (Figure 1). Mothers providing structure for exchanges with the infant at 12 months played a protective function. Fear emerged as a significant predictor of internalizing problems, along with maternal anxiety (Figure 2). Scaffolding of mother-infant exchanges did not make a statistically reliable contribution. The pattern of results suggests a more constitutionally driven etiology for internalizing, coupled with more contextual effects for externalizing problems. This study examined a child effects model and reciprocal effects should be considered.

Authors

• Jennifer Mattera, Washington State University
  Presenting Author

• Allegra Campagna, Washington State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Eric Desmarais, Washington State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alyssa Neumann, Washington State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Maria Gartstein, Washington State University
  Non-Presenting Author