Early Childhood Impulsivity and Parenting Predict Trajectories of Externalizing Psychopathology

Parenting is a consistent predictor of child externalizing symptoms; however, the role of caregiving variability (i.e., variation in a caregiver’s parenting behaviour) is poorly understood. We examined whether characteristic parenting style and parenting variability predicted externalizing symptoms in 409 children (Mage = 3.43 at baseline, 208 girls). We assessed parent positive affectivity (PPA), hostility, and parenting structure at child age three using three behavioural tasks designed to vary in context, examining variability by modeling a latent difference score reflecting the range for each dimension. We assessed children’s symptoms at ages three, five, eight, and 11. Lower hostility predicted fewer age three symptoms for children with lower impulsivity. Higher PPA predicted a more decreasing slope and PPA variability predicted a less decreasing slope, both specifically for children with higher impulsivity. Results demonstrate the differential roles parenting style and variability play in the development of child externalizing psychopathology.