1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« In this chapter, family dysfunction is composed of indicators of less-than-optimal immediate kin relationships during childhood: poor support, communication, acceptance, and problem solving in the family. » (p. 131)
« Our goal [in this study] is to examine family dysfunction as a global contextual factor in middle childhood and to consider its relation to the developmental pathways of physical aggression, depression, and prosocial behaviour in boys and girls while considering the relations between family dysfunction and other factors in the home environment that could provide competing explanations for children’s behavioural development. » (p. 133)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
« This study includes three data cycles of the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and youth (NLSCY). The first wave of data collection (Cycle 1) took place in 1994-1995 and was followed by subsequent cycles at two-year intervals. » (p. 133)
« The initial cross-sectional sample consisted of 22,831 Canadian children aged newborn to 11 years. […] This sampling procedure yielded complete longitudinal data on 5,809 children (2,909 girls and 2,900 boys). » (p. 134)

Instruments :
« Information on family characteristics and child behaviour was provided by the PMK [person most knowledgeable]. Family functioning was assessed with the widely used 12-item scale developed by researchers at Chedoke-McMaster Hospital, McMaster University. » (p. 134)
« We assessed children’s physical aggression, prosocial behaviour, and depression by using items from the Social Behavior Questionnaire (see Tremblay, Pihl, Vitaro, & Dobkin, 1994, for details). » (p. 135)

Types de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« We generated life course trajectories of family dysfunction and behavioral development for both sexes across middle childhood. These pathways were grounded in the data, making our approach as naturalistic as possible within the limits of a national data set. Across middle childhood, we found a remarkable set of relations of middle childhood life course patterns of family dysfunction with patterns of children’s physical aggression, depression, and low prosociality for both boys and girls. When we considered the influence of important co-occurring family context variables, these relations remained robust across all three indicators of psychosocial adjustment. » (p. 143)