Citation

Hill AL, Degnan KA, Calkins SD, Keane SP. Dev. Psychol. 2006; 42(5): 913-928.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC 27402-6170, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/0012-1649.42.5.913

PMID

16953696

Abstract

Although externalizing behavior typically peaks in toddlerhood and decreases by school entry, some children do not show this normative decline. A sample of 383 boys and girls was assessed at ages 2, 4, and 5 for externalizing behavior and at age 2 on measures of emotion regulation and inattention. A longitudinal latent profile analysis was performed and resulted in 4 longitudinal profiles of externalizing behavior for each gender. Poor emotion regulation and inattention were important predictors of membership in the chronic-clinical profile for girls, whereas socioeconomic status and inattention were important predictors of membership in the chronic-clinical profile for boys. Results are discussed with respect to the development of adaptive skills that lead to normative declines in externalizing behavior across childhood.

Language: en