Effortful control and adaptive functioning of homeless children: Variable-focused and person-focused analyses

Homeless children show significant developmental delays across major domains of adaptation, yet research on protective processes that may contribute to resilient adaptation in this highly disadvantaged group of children is extremely rare. This study examined the role of effortful control for adaptio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied developmental psychology 2010-03, Vol.31 (2), p.109-117
Main Author: Obradovic, Jelena
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Achievement
Adaptation
Adaptive behaviour
Adjustment (to Environment)
Behavior Problems
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child Development
Children
Competence
Developmental Delays
Developmental psychology
Disadvantaged Youth
Effortful control
Executive functions
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Homeless children
Homeless People
Intelligence Quotient
Parenting Styles
Peer Relationship
Personality Traits
Predictor Variables
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Resilience
Risk
School Readiness
Self Control
Selfregulation
Socioeconomic Influences
Student Behavior
Temperament
Young Children
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Summary:Homeless children show significant developmental delays across major domains of adaptation, yet research on protective processes that may contribute to resilient adaptation in this highly disadvantaged group of children is extremely rare. This study examined the role of effortful control for adaption in 58 homeless children, ages 5–6, during their transition to school. Effortful control skills were assessed using children's performance on four standard laboratory tasks. Adaptive functioning was assessed by teacher report of academic competence, peer competence, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Variable-focused and person-focused results indicate that effortful control may be an important marker of school readiness and resilience. Controlling for child IQ, parenting quality, and socio-demographic risks, effortful control emerged as the most significant predictor of all four salient developmental domains of adaptation as well as of resilient status of homeless children. Implications of these findings are discussed for future research and design of interventions.
ISSN:0193-3973
1873-7900
DOI:10.1016/j.appdev.2009.09.004