Citation

Belsky J, Pasco Fearon RM, Bell B. J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry 2007; 48(12): 1233-1242.

Affiliation

Institute for the Study of Children, Families and Social Issues, Birkbeck University of London, London UK. j.belsky@bbk.ac.uk

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01807.x

PMID

18093029

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Building on prior work, this paper tests, longitudinally and repeatedly, the proposition that attentional control processes mediate the effect of earlier parenting on later externalizing problems. METHODS: Repeated independent measurements of all three constructs--observed parenting, computer-tested attentional control and adult-reported externalizing problems--were subjected to structural equation modeling using data from the large-scale American study of child care and youth development. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling indicated (a) that greater maternal sensitivity at two different ages (54 months, approximately 6 years) predicted better attentional control on the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) of attention regulation two later ages ( approximately 6/9 years); (2) that better attentional control at three different ages (54 months, approximately 6/9 years) predicted less teacher-reported externalizing problems at three later ages ( approximately 6/8/10 years); and (3) that attentional control partially mediated the effect of parenting on externalizing problems at two different lags (i.e., 54 months--> approximately 6 years--> approximately 8 years; approximately 6 years--> approximately 9 years--> approximately 10 years), though somewhat more strongly for the first. Additionally, (4) some evidence of reciprocal effects of attentional processes on parenting emerged (54 months--> approximately 6 years; approximately 6 years--> approximately 8 years), but not of problem behavior on attention. CONCLUSIONS: Because attention control partially mediates the effects of parenting on externalizing problems, intervention efforts could target both parenting and attentional processes.

Language: en