Abstract:
The aim of the current study was to clarify the pathways by which externalizing behavior can be predicted in preadolescents at risk for aggression. This study examined how parental involvement, autonomic reactivity, and the temperament traits of effortful control and negative affect related among themselves when predicting externalizing behavior as reported by parents and teachers. Although the literature has found associations for each of these variables to behavior individually, no study to date has examined how these variables interact with each other simultaneously when predicting behavior in a sample of at-risk preadolescents. Given past research, it was hypothesized that negative affect would have an indirect relationship to externalizing behavior through autonomic regulation and parental involvement. Effortful control was also thought to moderate the relationship between autonomic reactivity and behavior. Lastly, it was predicted that autonomic reactivity would be associated with parental involvement. A sample of 360 preadolescents was used to test the model noted above using structural equation modeling procedures. This sample was largely male, African American, and of low-middle socioeconomic status. The results of the models varied by the reporter. With teacher report, behavior was not predicted, but significant relationships among autonomic reactivity, parental involvement, and negative affect were found. With parent report, negative affect predicted externalizing behavior indirectly through parental involvement. Autonomic reactivity and effortful control were also predicted externalizing behavior. Significant gender differences were also found using parent-report of behavior. The differences in findings by reporter and the implications for the prevention and treatment of externalizing behavior are discussed.
