Child Effortful Control as a Mediator of Parenting Practices on Externalizing Behavior: Evidence for a Sex-Differentiated Pathway across the Transition from Preschool to School

Abstract

An explanatory model for children’s development of disruptive behavior across the transition from preschool to school was tested. It was hypothesized that child effortful control would mediate the effects of parenting on children’s externalizing behavior and that child sex would moderate these relations. Participants were 241 children (123 boys) and their parents and teachers. Three dimensions of parenting, warm responsiveness, induction, and corporal punishment, were assessed via maternal report when children were 3 years old. Child effortful control at age 3 was measured using laboratory tasks and a mother-report questionnaire. Mothers and teachers contributed ratings of child externalizing behavior at age 6. Results showed that the hypothesized model fit the data well and that the pattern of associations between constructs differed for boys and girls. For boys, parental warm responsiveness and corporal punishment had significant indirect effects on children’s externalizing behavior three years later, mediated by child effortful control. Such relations were not observed for girls. These findings support a sex-differentiated pathway to externalizing behavior across the transition from preschool to school.

Classroom Interactions, Dyadic Teacher–Child Relationships, and Self–Regulation in Socially Disadvantaged Young Children

“…These findings complement similar findings on the associations between parental warmth and adaptive self-regulation skills (Bernier et al, 2010;Chang et al, Running head: PROCESS QUALITY AND SELF-REGULATION 20 2011). For instance, Bernier and colleagues (2010) examined parent-child relationships and found that mothers who were more sensitive and more autonomy supportive had children performing better on self-regulation tasks several months later.…”

“…Nevertheless, the moderating effect of high levels of instructional support was apparent for girls with low self-regulation skills, but not for boys. In line with Chang et al (2011), our results may indicate complex, sex differentiated patterns of associations, suggesting that girls and boys may differ in the pathways involved in the development of self-regulation in the classroom. This finding is somewhat consistent with recent research that found that the relation between conflictual relationships and self-regulation extended only for girls (Berry, 2012).…”

“…The preschool years are, thus, a particularly important period for promoting self-regulation, especially for children who may be at risk for lower self-regulation skills, as is the case of children who grow up under conditions of socioeconomic disadvantage (Mezzacappa, 2004;Noble, Norman, & Farah, 2005). Research has also suggested that emotionally supportive and cognitively stimulating interactions with caregivers can potentially counterbalance the detrimental effects of social disadvantage (Bernier, Carlson, & Whipple, 2010;Chang, Olson, Sameroff, & Sexton, 2011). In line with this view, randomized control studies suggest that classroom interventions can support gains in self-regulation (Raver et al, 2011), but the links between typical, daily preschool experiences and the development of self-regulation have not been systematically examined.…”

“…Thus, the influence of high-quality relationships on gains in self-regulation skills may depend on children's initial levels of self-regulation (Rudasill & Rimm-Kaufman, 2009), Running head: PROCESS QUALITY AND SELF-REGULATION 8 making it important to investigate moderating effects. Similarly, prior research has suggested that the paths linking early relationships and behavioral adjustment may be different for boys and girls (Chang et al, 2011, Hamre & Pianta, 2001). Two conflicting perspectives -gender role socialization and academic risk -have been considered.…”

Gender as predictor of social rejection: the mediating/moderating role of effortful control and parenting. [El género como predictor de rechazo social: el papel mediador / moderador del control con esfuerzo y crianza de los hijos]

“…In line with studies that have used EC with scales designed by the Rothbart team (Chang, et al, 2011;Zhou, Main, & Wang, 2010), we selected the Attentional focusing (alpha = .887) and Inhibitory control (alpha = .670) scales to make operative this construct. In several studies, both dimensions have been identified systematically by the EC construct, over others.…”