Résultats de recherche

1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« Dans un premier temps, cette recherche a pour but de vérifier l’impact de l’adversité familiale évaluée entre 5 et 42 mois sur les problèmes de comportement des enfants de 42 mois et sur la sécurité d’attachement des enfants de 48 mois. En deuxième lieu, elle vise à vérifier si le fonctionnement familial, évalué à 42 mois, joue un rôle médiateur dans la relation entre l’adversité familiale d’une part, et les problèmes de comportement ou la sécurité d’attachement d’autre part. » (p. 439)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
« Les 572 participants à l’étude (n = 572) sont âgés entre cinq et 42 mois [...] Quatre-vingt d’entre eux (n = 80) ont fait l’objet d’une mesure de sécurité d’attachement à 48 mois. [...] Les [..] participants [...] proviennent de l’étude longitudinale du développement des enfants du Québec (ÉLDEQ, 1997-2001), menée conjointement par Santé Québec et le Groupe de Recherche sur l’Inadaptation Psychosociale (GRIP). » (p. 435; 439)

Instruments :
- L’« index d’adversité familiale (Blanz et al., 1991; Parent, Gosselin & Moss, 2000; Shaw & Vondra, 1993) »;
- une « échelle développée par des chercheurs de l’hôpital Chedocke-McMaster, Université de McMaster (Pagani et al., 2006) »;
- le « Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach, Edelbrock & Howell, 1987) »;
- le « Infant Characteristics Questionnaire (ICQ; Bates, Bennett, Freeland, & Lounsbury, 1979; Bates et al, 1980) ».
- « Les dyades mère-enfant ont participé [en laboratoire] à la situation étrangère modifiée développée par Cassidy et Marvin (1992) pour les enfants d’âge préscolaire. » (pp. 441; 443-447)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« À la petite enfance, l’adaptation sociale de l’enfant dépend en partie des risques auxquels il est exposé dans son environnement. Toutefois, les mécanismes par lesquels les facteurs de risque opèrent leurs influences sur l’adaptation sociale de l’enfant sont peu documentés. Ainsi, cette étude examine dans un premier temps l’effet principal de l’adversité familiale, un cumul de facteurs de risque, sur les problèmes de comportement intériorisés et extériorisés, ainsi que sur la sécurité d’attachement des enfants d’âge préscolaire. Dans un deuxième temps, elle évalue le rôle médiateur du fonctionnement familial dans le lien entre l’adversité familiale et les problèmes de comportement de même qu’entre l’adversité familiale et la sécurité d’attachement des enfants d’âge préscolaire. [...] Les résultats indiquent, d’abord, un effet principal de l’adversité familiale sur les problèmes de comportement intériorisés et extériorisés. Un effet médiateur significatif du fonctionnement familial est ensuite rapporté dans le lien entre l’adversité familiale et les problèmes de comportement intériorisés et extériorisés. Aucun effet significatif n’est observé pour la sécurité d’attachement des enfants de 48 mois. » (p. 435)

1. Objectifs

Intentions :
The authors investigate « [...] the interrelations among prenatal smoking, birth weight and sociodemographic influences in the prediction of offspring cognitive abilities » (p. 594)

Questions/Hypothèses :
« In summary, we will test the hypotheses that (1) sociodemographic factors account for associations between prenatal smoking and birth weight on the one hand, and early cognitive abilities on the other, (2) birth weight mediates associations between prenatal smoking and early cognitive abilities, (3) prenatal smoking accounts for associations between maternal education and family income on the one hand, and birth weight on the other, (4) prenatal smoking and birth weight interact with sociodemographic factors, in the prediction of children’s early cognitive abilities, and (5) mediators of maternal education and family income, i.e. family functioning and parenting, are more
influential under low birth weight or ‘high’ smoking conditions. » (p. 595)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
« The children of this study participate in the Québec Longitudinal Study of Children’s Development, a prospective longitudinal study of children born between October 1997 and July 1998 in the province of Québec, Canada (Jetté and Des Groseilliers, 2000). [...] A total of 2223 families (75.6% of targeted population) participated in the study when the infant was aged 5 months between the months of March and November, 1998. » (p. 596)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« The results of this study showed that (1) maternal education accounted for associations between prenatal smoking and indicators of early cognitive abilities, (2) birth weight significantly mediated the association between prenatal smoking and short-term memory, (3) prenatal smoking accounted for associations between maternal education and family income on the one hand, and birth weight on the other, (4) birth weight interacted with family income and maternal education in the prediction of visuospatial ability, and (5) family functioning and parenting generally mediated associations between maternal education and family income and early cognitive abilities in children regardless of birth weight, although some effects were stronger for those with below average birth weight. » (p. 602)

1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« With the objective of guiding preventive interventions by learning more about the early development of physical aggression, the study looked at the trajectories of physical aggression during early childhood and the antecedents of high levels of physical aggression displayed by some children. » (p. 2)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
« The study entailed the collection of survey data from a random sample of 572 families with a five-month old newborn. Information was obtained the mothers at 17, 30, and 42 months after the birth of their babies. » (p. 1)

Instruments :
La procédure « included information on the nature and frequency of physical aggression. The mothers were then interviewed about their own school-age behavioural problems, as well as more recent factors such as smoking and drinking during pregnancy and current family conflicts. Mothers were asked to rate their infants’ temperament and describe their parenting habits. » (p. 3)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« Aggressive behaviour is typically associated with older children. Research suggests however, that it may actually peak in the second year of life and steadily decline after that. Most children learn to regulate physical aggression during the preschool years, but a significant number of boys and girls will continue to display this behaviour as adolescents and adults.
The study summarized in this Policy Brief looks at the early development of physical aggression in children. The research team was able to identify the developmental trajectories of physical aggression during early childhood and to determine the antecedents of high levels of physical aggression in some children. » (p. 1)

1. Objectifs

Intentions :
« This study aimed, first, to identify the trajectories of physical aggression during early childhood and, second, to identify antecedents of high levels of physical aggression early in life. Such antecedents could help to understand better the developmental origins of violence later in life and to identify targets for preventive interventions. » (p. e43)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
« A total of 504 children were followed from 5 to 42 months of age to assess the developmental course of physical aggression. Mothers were interviewed at home 4 times, when their child was 5, 17, 30, and 42 months of age. Subjects were selected using the Québec Ministry of Health and Social Services registry of new births. A random sample of single births was selected with a stratified procedure on the basis of the mother’s area of residence and gender of the child. Area of residence was limited to a 1-hour drive by car from the 2 main urban centers in the province of Québec; also, families were excluded when parents did not understand French or English. » (p.e44)

Instruments :
Des questionnaires mesurant les dimensions suivantes furent employés au cours de l’étude :
- « Physical Aggression at 17, 30, and 42 Months After Birth »;
- « Child Temperament at 5 Months After Birth »;
- « Mothers’ Quality of Parenting at 5 Months After Birth »;
- « Parent Background and Family Characteristics ».

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« Results : Three trajectories of physical aggression were identified. The first was composed of children who displayed little or no physical aggression. These individuals were estimated to account for 28% of the sample. The largest group, estimated at 58% of the sample, followed a rising trajectory of modest aggression. Finally, a group, estimated to comprise 14% of the sample, followed a rising trajectory of high physical aggression. Best predictors before or at birth of the high physical aggression trajectory group, controlling for the levels of the other risk factors, were having young siblings […], mothers with high levels of antisocial behavior before the end of high school […], mothers who started having children early […], families with low income […], and mothers who smoked during pregnancy […]. Best predictors at 5 months of age were mothers’ coercive parenting behavior […] and family dysfunction […]. The [odds ratio] for a high-aggression trajectory was 10.9 for children whose mother reported both high levels of antisocial behavior and early childbearing.
Conclusions : Most children have initiated the use of physical aggression during infancy, and most will learn to use alternatives in the following years before they enter primary school. Humans seem to learn to regulate the use of physical aggression during the preschool years. Those who do not, seem to be at highest risk of serious violent behavior during adolescence and adulthood. Results from the present study indicate that children who are at highest risk of not learning to regulate physical aggression in early childhood have mothers with a history of antisocial behavior during their school years, mothers who start childbearing early and who smoke during pregnancy, and parents who have low income and have serious problems living together. All of these variables are relatively easy to measure during pregnancy. Preventive interventions should target families with high-risk profiles on these variables. Experiments with such programs have shown long-term impacts on child abuse and child antisocial behavior. However, these impacts were not observed in families with physical violence. The problem may be that the prevention programs that were provided did not specifically target the parents’ control over their physical aggression and their skills in teaching their infant not to be physically aggressive. Most intervention programs to prevent youth physical aggression have targeted schoolage children. If children normally learn not to be physically aggressive during the preschool years, then one would expect that interventions that target infants who are at high risk of chronic physical aggression would have more of an impact than interventions 5 to 10 years later, when physical aggression has become a way of life. » (p. e43)