The Role of Parent Psychopathology in the Development of Preschool Children with Behavior Problems

The present study examined associations between early parental self-reported psychopathology symptoms and the later behavioral, emotional, and social functioning of preschool children with behavior problems. Mothers and fathers of preschoolers with behavior problems (N = 132; 55 girls, 77 boys) comp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology 2014-09, Vol.43 (5), p.777-790
Main Authors: Breaux, Rosanna P., Harvey, Elizabeth A., Lugo-Candelas, Claudia I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Behavior
Behavior Problems
Child
Child Behavior Disorders - epidemiology
Child, Preschool
Correlation analysis
Female
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mental Disorders - complications
Parents - psychology
Preschool children
Psychopathology
Self Report
Social skills
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:The present study examined associations between early parental self-reported psychopathology symptoms and the later behavioral, emotional, and social functioning of preschool children with behavior problems. Mothers and fathers of preschoolers with behavior problems (N = 132; 55 girls, 77 boys) completed parent psychopathology questionnaires when children were 3 years old and completed measures of children's externalizing, internalizing, and social problems annually from age 3 to age 6. The sample included 61% European American, 16% Latino (predominantly Puerto Rican), 10% African American, and 13% multiethnic children. Every dimension of mothers' and fathers' psychopathology symptoms when children were 3 years old was associated with their own reports of children's externalizing and internalizing problems 3 years later. Several dimensions of maternal psychopathology symptoms at age 3 were associated with mother-reported social skills 3 years later. However, the relation between many dimensions of psychopathology symptoms and child outcome appears to be accounted for by co-occurring psychopathology symptoms. Only maternal attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Cluster A symptoms, and paternal ADHD and depression/anxiety symptoms emerged as unique predictors of child functioning. These findings suggest that most types of mothers' and fathers' self-reported psychopathology symptoms may play a role in the prognosis of behavioral, social, and emotional outcomes of preschoolers with behavior problems, but that co-occurring symptoms need to be considered.
ISSN:1537-4416
1537-4424
DOI:10.1080/15374416.2013.836451