Poster #56 - Longitudinal Associations Between Family Instability and Conduct Problems in Early Childhood

• In Event: 3-206 - Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Section - Developmental Psychopathology

Integrative Statement

Family instability in terms of residential mobility, family structure instability, or parental incarceration is a common stressor that many American children experience (Cooper et al., 2009; U.S. Census Bureau, 2017). Extant research has linked higher levels of instability to behavior problems (Goodnight et al., 2013; Murray & Farrington, 2005; Tiesler et al., 2013) and exposure to instability in early childhood is particularly deleterious (Womack et al., 2018). However, little is known about the impact of instability on child development across time. Using latent growth curve models, the present study tested the mean shape and variability in trajectories of instability across the first seven years of childhood in a large sample of racially diverse, economically marginalized families. Additionally, the present study examined the relationship between growth in instability and growth in conduct problems across early childhood. It was hypothesized that the instability growth factors (i.e., intercept and slope) would positively predict the conduct problem growth factors.

Using data from a large (N = 731), racially-diverse, longitudinal data set (Early Steps Multisite Study; Dishion et al., 2008), the current study examined longitudinal associations between instability (moves, family structure transitions, and caregiver incarceration) and caregiver-reported conduct problems. Families completed home assessments at child ages 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7.5. Primary caregivers reported on residential and family structure transitions were the sum of address changes and wave-to-wave changes in live-in partner status, respectively. Caregiver incarceration, based on primary caregiver reports was the number of adults that had been incarcerated during the past year. Primary caregivers reported on child conduct problems using items from the Child Behavior Checklist that correspond to DSM-IV symptoms for oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder (see Brennan et al., 2015). An instability factor was created at each age from the residential transitions, family structure transitions, and caregiver incarceration scores using confirmatory factor analysis. Separate linear and quadratic growth models were fit for instability and conduct problems using the Lavaan package in R (Rosseel, 2012). A bivariate growth curve was then fit to examine associations between the instability and conduct problem growth factors (see Figure 1).

A log-likelihood ratio test found the quadratic models to fit the data better than the linear models for instability and conduct problems. The shape of the instability growth curve indicated that over time families experienced less instability in terms of family structure transitions, moves, and adult incarcerations. The instability intercept (child age 2 initially) in the bivariate growth curve significantly predicted the conduct problems intercept, but the instability growth factors (i.e., slope and quadratic term) did not significantly predict the conduct problem growth factors. When the intercepts were shifted to other ages (i.e., 3, 4, 5, or 7.5) the instability intercept significantly positively predicted the conduct problem intercept. Thus, there appears to be short-term rather than long term consequences of instability on children’s conduct problems. Results from the study will be discussed in the context of child development and social policy.

Authors

• Sean Womack, University of Virginia
  Presenting Author

• Melvin N. Wilson, University of Virginia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Xin Tong, University of Virginia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Daniel S. Shaw, University of Pittsburgh
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author