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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood

Published on: February 11, 2017

Temperamental resistance to control increases the association between sleep problems and externalizing behavior

Jackson A Goodnight1, John E Bates, Angela Dawn Staples

  • 1Department of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA. jgoodnig@indiana.edu

Journal of Family Psychology : JFP : Journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43)
|March 21, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Temperamental resistance to control moderates the link between sleep problems and externalizing behaviors. Children with high resistance to control who develop sleep issues are more likely to develop behavior problems.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychiatry

Background:

  • Sleep problems and externalizing behaviors are common in childhood.
  • Temperament, such as resistance to control, may influence behavior development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine how temperamental resistance to control moderates the relationship between sleep problems and externalizing behaviors.
  • To investigate the longitudinal association between sleep and behavior problems over five years.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-domain latent growth curve model was used.
  • Data collected annually from ages 5 to 9.
  • Sleep problems assessed via mother reports; externalizing behaviors via teacher reports.

Main Results:

  • Sleep problem trajectories were positively associated with externalizing behavior trajectories only for children high in resistance to control.
  • High resistance to control was linked to initial sleep and externalizing problems at age 5.

Conclusions:

  • Temperamental resistance to control plays a crucial role in the development of externalizing behaviors.
  • Sleep problems may exacerbate behavior issues in children with high resistance to control.
  • Findings have implications for prevention and treatment of conduct problems.

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