Children who are socially competent during early childhood are less likely to show elevated levels of internalizing and externalizing behaviors in middle childhood, which decreases subsequent mental health risk. It is likely that child characteristics related to social competence and rearing environment work together to influence the development of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Toddler positive emotionality and parental warmth are two factors that have been directly linked to child social competence during early and middle childhood. It is possible that heritable influences on child positive emotionality may evoke parental warmth (child-driven effect), which may indirectly promote the development of social competence. This study uses a longitudinal parent-offspring adoption design (N=561, Early Growth and Development Study) to examine how heritable (birth parent temperament) and environmental (adoptive parent warmth) factors contribute to positive emotionality during early childhood, the development of social competence during early and middle childhood, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors during middle childhood. Birth mother agreeableness was indexed heritable influences as part of a birth parent temperament factor measured with the Adult Temperament Questionnaire, Temperament and Character Inventory, and Harter Adult Self-Perception Profile. Adoptive parents reported on toddler positive emotionality with the Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire at 18 months. Warmth from adoptive mother and father was assessed with self-reports on the Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales at 4.5 and 6 years. Parents reported on child social competence using the Social Skills Rating System at 4.5 and 6 years. Internalizing and externalizing behaviors were assessed at 7 years with mother, father and teacher report on the Child Behavior Checklist.
Findings indicated heritable effects of birth mother agreeableness on child social competence (b = .14, p<.01) at 4.5 years, but not on positive emotionality at 18 months (b = -.02, ns). Toddler positive emotionality elicits maternal (b = .31, p<.01) and paternal (b = .27, p <.01) warmth and was associated with child social competence (b = .14, p <.01) at 4.5 years. While there was stability in maternal warmth (b = .76, p <.01), paternal warmth (b = .68, p <.01), and social competence (b = .77, p <.01), there was no evocative effect from child social competence at 4.5 years to maternal (b = -.02, p =.75) or paternal (b = .09, p =.07) warmth at 6 years. Parental warmth at 4.5 years was also not associated with social competence at 6 years. Maternal warmth (b = -0.11, p<.05; b = -0.15, p<.01, respectively) and social competence (b = -0.33, b = -0.40, p <.01, respectively) at 6 years were associated with reduced internalizing and externalizing behaviors at 7 years, with internalizing and externalizing behaviors being moderately correlated (r=0.53, p<.01). Heritable characteristics and toddler positive emotionality increased parental warmth and social competence during early childhood. Children who were socially competent during middle childhood were less likely to show high levels of internalizing and externalizing behaviors in middle childhood, with a similar pattern of findings for parental warmth. Additional analyses will examine possible evocative rGE influences on child behavior problems.
Positive Psychology/Wellbeing , Psychopathology (e.g., Internalizing, Externalizing, Psychosis) , Development
