The specific aim of the project is to trace developmental pathways leading to early antisocial behaviors in male children from low socioeconomic status (SES) families. Using a model guided by a transactional perspective, and specifically by Patterson's (1982) coercion theory, our aim is to test the spread of coercive and conflictual relationships in the family that lead to antisocial outcomes for children during the later school-age years. The hypotheses are that parent-infant interaction in the first year characterized by infant demandingness and maternal unresponsiveness leads to coercive cycles of interaction at preschool-age, which in turn spread to relationships the child has with siblings, peers, and teachers at school-age. It is further hypothesized that the young child who has established a pattern of disruptive behavior, has been rejected by caregivers, and shown coercive patterns of interaction with adults and siblings, will more likely demonstrate a persistent pattern of antisocial behavior from ages 6-12. During the school-age period, we will continue to study the effects of developmental transitions, child problem behavior, and parenting on conduct problems, but also consider the influence of peer relations, neighborhood characteristics, and ethnicity. The model will be tested with a sample of 310 low-income, ethnically diverse boys who have been followed since infancy and will be between ages 10 and 12 during the study period. This age period represents the """"""""end"""""""" of the early starter period for antisocial behavior, as children who demonstrate high rates of antisocial activity before adolescence show considerably poorer life course trajectories than those who begin antisocial activities during adolescence (Moffitt, 1990; Patterson et al., 1992). Target children will be seen with their parents and siblings at age 10 and 12 in the home, with their mother at age 11 in the lab, and observed at a day camp between ages 10-12. Additional report of child behavior will come from teachers, school, court, and police records.
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