The association of behavioural adjustment to temperament, parenting and family characteristics among 5-year-old children

The objective of this study was to identify specific temperament, parenting, and family variables, and their interactions, which predict problem behaviours and social skills in children. The subjects were 74 5–6 year old children (34 boys, 40 girls). Results showed different combinations of variables predicted each behavioural outcome, and the child's ‘goodness of fit’ in the home was a strong predictor of externalising behaviour and social skills. An interaction between temperamental inflexibility and punitive parenting in the development of parent-rated externalising behaviour problems was found. This study highlights the value of using specific indices of temperament, parenting and family functioning and of pursuing interaction effects in the prediction of children's behavioural development.