Role of Parent Affective Behaviors and Child Negativity in Behavioral Functioning for Young Children With Developmental Delays

Abstract

This study examined individual and interactive effects of child negativity and parental affective behaviors when children were 4 years of age on externalizing issues exhibited by children at 5 years of age using a subsample of children with developmental delays drawn from a nationally representative data set (N = 450). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to address research questions. Results indicated that negativity displayed by parents when children were 4 years of age was associated with more externalizing issues when children reached age 5. Interactions between parent and child affective behaviors did not significantly explain additional variance in the model, though there was a trend in which parent and child negativity interacted to predict children’s 5-year externalizing issues. Findings suggest interventions targeting emotional regulation in preschool-age children with developmental delays should target child and parent affective expression, and equip parents with skills to manage negative emotion.