Infant temperament and school age behavior: 6-year longitudinal study in a pediatric practice

Abstract

We conducted a retrospective cohort study in a pediatric practice to assess the association between parents' ratings of temperamental difficulty (observations of specific infant behaviors) and perceptions of temperamental difficulty (impressions of one's infant as compared with other infants) in infancy and behavior problems at school age. Mothers of 129 infants, who had completed the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire at the 4-month visit, completed the Child Behavior Checklist when the child was 6 years of age. Teachers of 102 of these children completed the teacher Child Behavior Checklist. Temperamental difficulty was defined by assessments of rhythmicity, approach/withdrawal, intensity, mood, and adaptability. Initial analyses revealed that low socioeconomic status (r = -.29, P = .001), ratings of temperamental difficulty (r = .17, P = .06), and perceptions of temperamental difficulty (r = .22, P = .02) at 4 months of age were associated with increased maternal rating of behavior problems at 6 years of age (all 2-tailed tests). However, a multivariate regression analysis showed only low socioeconomic status (P less than .01) and increased perceptions of temperamental difficulty (P = .02) associated with maternal behavior problem scores. Teacher behavior problem scores were associated only with low socioeconomic status (r = -.27, P = .01). These results suggest that the link between difficult infant temperament and later behavior problems is complex and probably reflects both child factors and parent attitudes about what constitutes typical infant behavior.