The role of aspirations in young children's emotional and behavioural problems

Abstract

Using data from a large UK cohort (n = 11,656), we investigated the determinants of 7-year-old children's aspirations, and the role of these aspirations in emotional and behavioural problems, as reported by both parents and teachers. Aspirations were classified to reflect their occupational status, masculinity/femininity and intrinsic/extrinsic motivation. Children's aspirations had significant antecedents in social disadvantage, parental involvement in learning, parental values and cognitive ability. Children with low occupational aspirations had more emotional problems as reported by both parents and teachers, and more teacher-reported peer problems. In the teacher report, masculine aspirations were also related to hyperactivity. Gender differences in the association between aspirations and emotional and behavioural problems were few and weak. Intrinsic aspirations were related to peer problems, especially in boys. The inverse relation between feminine aspirations and hyperactivity and peer problems was relatively stronger in girls, as was the association between low aspirations and emotional problems.

Satisfaction of basic psychological needs in an interdependence model of fathers’ own aspirations and those of their adolescent children

“…Evidence examining the link between own and others’ aspirations is sparse, but that which exists suggests that parents’ values and aspirations are meaningfully associated with the aspirations of their children (Chew & Wang, 2010; Henderson‐King & Brooks, 2009; Kasser, Ryan, Zax, & Sameroff, 1995; Moulton, Flouri, Joshi, & Sullivan, 2015; Roman et al, 2015; Soenens et al, 2015). The children of mothers who endorse extrinsic aspirations experience pressure to pursue extrinsic aspirations themselves (Soenens et al, 2015), and parents (the samples usually comprise mostly mothers) who value popularity have more extrinsically oriented children (Moulton et al, 2015). Furthermore, children’s own valuing of aspirations for personal growth, affiliation, and financial success has been associated with the extent to which their mothers valued those aspirations (Kasser et al, 1995).…”

“…Studies of parent and child aspirations have been conducted primarily in Western countries such as the United States (Kasser et al, 1995), the United Kingdom (Moulton et al, 2015), and Belgium (Soenens et al, 2015). While the benefits of relative intrinsic aspiring and the disadvantages of relative extrinsic aspiring have been established in diverse cultures and nations (e.g., Kim, Kasser, & Lee, 2003; Ryan et al, 1999), to our knowledge, only two studies have utilized Japanese samples (Kitamura, Kijima, Takeuchi, & Tomoda, 2014; Nishimura & Suzuki, 2016a).…”

Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Children’s Behaviour Problems: the Role of Early Aspirations

“…For example, Beal and Crockett (2010) found that career aspirations in adolescence were not related to either of their measures of problem behaviour (i.e., delinquency and substance use). By contrast, Moulton, Flouri, Joshi, and Sullivan (2015b) found that low career aspirations were related to emotional problems in young children, and Boxer, Goldstein, Delorenzo, Savoy, and Mercado (2011) found that adolescents' high academic aspirations were associated with less antisocial behaviour. Studies taking a psychological theory approach to classifying children's and adolescents' aspirations have been more successful in finding associations with psychological adjustment than those measuring aspirations solely by their prestige.…”

Children’s Understanding and Aspirations on Built Environment: A Case Study on Khulna City of Bangladesh

“…Their cognitive and perceptual ability, maturity all are growing quickly in a healthy built environment where they live, enjoy, grow and develop. Furthermore, children of this age group start to gain basic social valuation and personal characteristics (Moulton et al, 2015). In this context, this study has selected the cases from class 5 and class 8 school going children from three high schools of Khulna city, Bangladesh, namely (i) Khulna Zilla School; (ii) Government Coronation Girls High School; and (iii) Lions School based on their reputation, year of establishment and gender dimensions.…”