Citation

Atherton OE, Schofield TJ, Sitka A, Conger RD, Robins RW. J. Adolesc. 2016; 48: 1-10.

Affiliation

University of California, Davis, Department of Psychology, United States.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.01.001

PMID

26820648

Abstract

Despite widespread speculation about the detrimental effect of unsupervised self-care on adolescent outcomes, little is known about which children are particularly prone to problem behaviors when left at home without adult supervision. The present research used data from a longitudinal study of 674 Mexican-origin children residing in the United States to examine the prospective effect of unsupervised self-care on conduct problems, and the moderating roles of hostile aggression and gender.

RESULTS showed that unsupervised self-care was related to increases over time in conduct problems such as lying, stealing, and bullying. However, unsupervised self-care only led to conduct problems for boys and for children with an aggressive temperament. The main and interactive effects held for both mother-reported and observational-rated hostile aggression and after controlling for potential confounds.

Language: en