Poster #17 - Why Does Children’s Temperamental Exuberance Increase their Vulnerability to Externalizing Symptoms?: A Process-Oriented Approach

• In Event: Poster Session 05

Abstract

Temperamental exuberance or surgency is characterized as a relatively stable disposition to exhibit high levels of approach to novelty, anticipatory pleasure, and activity (Stifter & Dollar, 2016). Research has shown that children who are high in exuberance during the toddler and preschool years are at greater risk for concurrent and subsequent externalizing problems during middle childhood (e.g., Dollar & Stifter, 2012; He et al., 2016; Morales et al., 2016). However, little work has been done to further investigate specific mechanisms that may account for this association. To address this gap, the goal of this study was to identify the processes mediating the vulnerability of exuberant children. Guided by conceptualizations of temperament (Rettew & McKee, 2005; Scaramella & Leve, 2004), we specifically examined whether children’s negative internal representations of the family, hostile reactivity to family adversity, and exposure to family difficulties mediated the prospective association between their exuberance during preschool and their externalizing symptoms in the early elementary school years. Participants included 243 preschool children (Mage = 4.60 years; 56% girls) and parents (e.g., 48% Black; 16% Latinx) in a multi-method (i.e. surveys, observations) and multi-informant study (i.e. mother, partner, teacher, observer) with three annual measurement occasions. Retention rates across contiguous waves of data collection were 97% and 94%. The final model, depicted in Figure 1, provided a satisfactory representation of the data, χ2 (328, N = 243) = 505.93, p < .001, RMSEA = .05, CFI = .94, and χ2/df ratio = 1.54. In this analysis, we used the multiple indicators in our measurement battery to create latent constructs of temperamental exuberance at Wave 1, the three proposed mediators (i.e., children’s negative family representations, children’s hostile reactivity to conflict, family adversity) at Waves 1 and 2, and children’s externalizing problems at Waves 1 and 3. In addition, we estimated autoregressive paths for the endogenous variables using the Wave 1 assessments of the mediators and outcome. Structural equation model results specifically supported children’s hostile reactivity to parental conflict and negative family representations as mediators. Exuberance significantly predicted residualized increases in children’s hostile reactivity (β=.19) and negative family representations (β=.19) over a one-year period. In turn, children’s hostile reactivity (β=.21) and negative family representations (β=.17) predicted their greater externalizing symptoms one year later after controlling for prior externalizing symptoms. Interpretations of the findings on the mediational roles of children’s hostile reactivity to parental conflict and negative family representations will be framed in relation to how they inform and refine theoretical models including top-down and bottom-up regulation processes, mood congruent models, schema-congruent models, social learning and family system theories, as well as the revised version of emotional security theory. The identification of negative family representations and hostile reactivity to family adversity as risk mechanisms may also offer new clinical opportunities for interrupting the pathogenic cascades. Replication and extension of our findings will be necessary before any definitive translational recommendations can be offered.

Authors

• Vanessa T Cao, University of Rochester
  Presenting Author

• Meera Patel, Stony Brook University

• Patrick Davies, University of Rochester

• Melissa L Sturge-Apple, University of Rochester