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Relations of effortful control, reactive undercontrol, and anger to Chinese children's adjustment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 April 2007

NANCY EISENBERG ,
YUE MA ,
LEI CHANG ,
QING ZHOU ,
STEPHEN G. WEST  and
LEONA AIKEN
NANCY EISENBERG
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
YUE MA
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
LEI CHANG
Affiliation:
Chinese University of Hong Kong
QING ZHOU
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
STEPHEN G. WEST
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
LEONA AIKEN
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
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Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the zero-order and unique relations of effortful attentional and behavioral regulation, reactive impulsivity, and anger/frustration to Chinese first and second graders' internalizing and externalizing symptoms, as well as the prediction of adjustment from the interaction of anger/frustration and effortful control or impulsivity. A parent and teacher reported on children's anger/frustration, effortful control, and impulsivity. Parents reported on children's internalizing symptoms, and teachers and peers reported on children's externalizing symptoms. Children were classified as relatively high on externalizing (or comorbid), internalizing, or nondisordered. High impulsivity and teacher-reported anger/frustration, and low effortful control, were associated with externalizing problems, whereas low effortful control and high parent-reported anger were predictive of internalizing problems. Unique prediction from effortful and reactive control was obtained and these predictors (especially when reported by teachers) often interacted with anger/frustration when predicting problem behavior classification.This research was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health (2 R01 MH60838) to Nancy Eisenberg and an Earmarked Research Grant (CUHK4620/05H) of the Research Grants Council, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, to Lei Chang.

Type
Research Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 19 , Issue 2 , April 2007 , pp. 385 - 409
Copyright
© 2007 Cambridge University Press

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