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

• 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
• ISSN: 0193-3973; 1873-7900
• DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2009.09.004

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.