Difficult temperament and behaviour problems: A longitudinal study from 1.5 to 12 years

Results of a 10-year longitudinal study on the developmental-behavioural significance of infant temperamental difficultness are presented. A cross-time, cross-context methodology was employed using data from over 100 children participating in the Fullerton Longitudinal Study. Difficult temperament was assessed at 1.5 years by mothers; behaviour problems were assessed by parents during the third year and annually from 4-12 and by teachers from 6-11 years. Temperamental difficultness correlated significantly, pervasively, and to moderate magnitudes with parent reports of behaviour problems from 3.25-12 years, Additionally, analyses using clinical cutpoints showed that 1.5-year-olds deemed temperamentally difficult evidenced a greater frequency of elevated scores, specifically, attention problems, aggressive behaviour, and thought problems (parents) and attention and thought problems (teachers). These data provide evidence for the ecological validity of parent reports of temperament and for a temperamental component in the development of childhood behaviour problems.