This review presents literature on family factors associated with externalizing behavior in preschool children. Studies that identify family patterns of preschoolers with both hyperactivity and aggression and longitudinal studies on family factors associated with negative behavioral outcomes in children were reviewed. Overall, the research documents that negative family characteristics are more prevalent in families of preschoolers with externalizing behavior disorders than in families of comparison preschoolers. When compared with families of preschoolers with only hyperactivity, preschoolers with hyperactivity and aggression had families with the most negative characteristics. Longitudinal research documented that certain family characteristics are associated with negative behavioral outcomes in children. Implications from these findings for both research and practice are given.
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