Relations of Emotional Competence and Effortful Control to Child Disruptive Behavior Problems

Research in child development suggests that emotional competence and effortful control are important for the prevention of conduct disorder, although studies regarding their effects in relation to each other are limited. This investigation examined the additive contribution of specific components of emotional competence and effortful control to child disruptive behaviors, after controlling for IQ and symptoms of inattention/hyperactivity. The sample consisted of 357 Australian five- to nine-year-old children who were identified through a school-wide screening procedure as at risk for developing conduct disorder. Five independent variables were evaluated including emotion identification, emotion understanding, emotion regulation, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. Outcome variables measured child disruptive behavior problems and were based on parent and teacher assessment. Results indicated that deficits in emotion regulation and cognitive flexibility are significantly related to risk for disruptive behavior problems, according to parent but not teacher report. These deficits outweighed inhibitory control, emotion identification, and emotion understanding in their association with problem behavior. Findings may enhance the content and delivery of preventative programs.