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Associations Between Maternal Negative Affectivity and Young Children's Disruptive Behavior Problems: The Mediating

Yingying Zhao1, Jeffrey R Gagne1, Fanyi Yu1

  • 1Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.

The Journal of Genetic Psychology
|November 17, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Maternal negative affectivity (NA) is linked to child disruptive behaviors, with callous-unemotional (CU) traits acting as a key mediator. This suggests NA may be a risk factor for CU traits and subsequent behavioral issues in young children.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Child disruptive behavior problems are a significant concern in early childhood.
  • Maternal negative affectivity (NA) is a potential risk factor for child behavioral issues.
  • Callous-unemotional (CU) traits in children are associated with severe conduct problems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between maternal NA and child disruptive behavior problems.
  • To investigate the mediating role of child CU traits in the NA-disruptive behavior relationship.
  • To explore the direct and indirect effects of maternal NA on child ADHD, ODD, and aggression.

Main Methods:

  • Multilevel mediation modeling and structural equation modeling were employed.
  • The study included 100 families with 201 children aged 2.5 to 5.5 years.
  • Data analyzed associations between maternal NA, child CU traits, and disruptive behaviors.

Main Results:

  • Maternal NA significantly mediated the relationship between CU traits and child ADHD, ODD, and aggression.
  • A significant direct effect of maternal NA was found for child aggression.
  • Child CU traits were strongly correlated with maternal NA, ADHD, ODD, and aggression.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal NA is a potential risk factor for developing child CU traits.
  • Child CU traits, influenced by maternal NA, may contribute to disruptive behaviors in early childhood.
  • Findings highlight the importance of addressing maternal emotional well-being in preventing child conduct problems.

Keywords:
Maternal negative affectivitycallous-unemotional traitsdisruptive behavior problemsmediation

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