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Temperament and Common Disruptive Behavior Problems in Preschool

Michelle M Martel1, Monica L Gremillion, Bethan Roberts

  • 1Psychology Department, University of New Orleans, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148.

Personality and Individual Differences
|November 10, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Preschool children with disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) show higher negative affect and surgency, and lower effortful control. These temperament traits link to specific DBD symptoms, similar to older children.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBD), including Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), are prevalent in childhood.
  • Preschool represents a critical yet understudied developmental period for understanding the emergence of DBD.
  • Temperament traits are considered foundational behavioral characteristics that may influence the development of childhood disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the associations between specific temperament traits and DBD symptoms in preschool-aged children.
  • To examine whether these associations differ across symptom domains of ODD and ADHD.
  • To compare preschool-era findings with those previously reported for middle childhood.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 109 preschool children (ages 3-6) and their families participated.
  • Disruptive Behavior Disorder symptoms were assessed using parent and teacher/caregiver reports on the Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale.
  • Temperament traits were measured via observational coding, parent reports (Child Behavior Questionnaire), and examiner reports (California Q-Sort).

Main Results:

  • Children with DBD exhibited significantly higher negative affect, higher surgency, and lower effortful control.
  • Negative affect was linked to most DBD symptom domains.
  • Surgency and reactive control were associated with hyperactivity-impulsivity, while effortful control related to ADHD and inattention symptoms.

Conclusions:

  • Temperament trait associations with DBD in preschool are comparable to those observed in middle childhood.
  • Extreme levels of temperament traits are significantly associated with disruptive behavior disorders as early as the preschool years.
  • These findings highlight the importance of early temperament assessment in identifying children at risk for DBD.

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