Miguel Ángel Carrasco

Factor Structure Invariance in the Children's Big Five Questionnaire

The factor structure invariance in the Big Five personality questionnaire was studied based on the self-reports of 852 Spanish children. Different degrees of invariance across age groups from 8 to 15 years old, and also according to gender, were investigated by means of confirmatory factor analysis with a matrix of polychoric correlations. The results provide empirical evidence for the invariant factor structure of the Big Five Questionnaire for Children (BFQ-C) measurement across age and gender in children. The five-factor structure, the factor pattern coefficients, the factor variances/co-variances and, finally, the theoretical constructs were all found to be reasonably invariant across these groups, and especially across gender. The five-factor model adequately represented the data for each of these groups. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Relative and absolute stability in perceived parenting behaviour: a longitudinal study with children and adolescents.

Patterns of relative and absolute stability in parental behaviour with children and adolescents are reported. The sample comprised 523 youth (58.7% girls). Data were collected at three time periods: T1 (M age = 11.1 yr.), T2 (M age = 12.2 yr.), and T3 (M age = 13.2 yr.), each separated by one year. According to childrens reports, relative consistency was moderate in both mothers and fathers, particularly as regards communication and strict control. In contrast, as children got older, parental rearing practices related to strict control and hostility decreased. There was a similarity between fathers and mothers in terms of relative and absolute stability. Relative stability was affected by the childs sex, the parenting variable, and the time period; however, the patterns of absolute stability reveal no differences by sex.

Aggression, anger and hostility: Evaluation of moral disengagement as a mediational process.

This study examines how the mechanisms underlying moral disengagement serve as a mediator between anger and hostility and physical and verbal aggression. The study was carried out on 424 participants (61.1% females), aged 15 to 25 years, assessing the direct and indirect effects of the distinct variables using a hierarchical multiple regression analysis and structural equation modeling. The findings suggest that anger and hostility contribute independently and positively to physical and verbal aggression. Moreover, the relationships between anger, hostility, and aggression appear to be mediated by moral disengagement. Indeed, this process of mediation was invariant across sexes, and it tended to be stronger for physical--as opposed to verbal--aggression.

Effects of Parental Interpersonal Power/Prestige and Acceptance on the Psychological Adjustment of Spanish Youth

This article analyzed the moderator role of perceived interpersonal power and prestige in the relation between perceived parental acceptance and children’s psychological adjustment. The sample consisted of 187 children (43% boys) ranging in age from 9 through 12 years (M = 10.58). The measures used were the child versions of the Parental Acceptance–Rejection Questionnaire, the youth version of the Parental Power–Prestige Questionnaire, and the child version of the Personality Assessment Questionnaire. Results indicate that perceived maternal acceptance and perceived paternal acceptance were significantly related to children’s psychological adjustment. Paternal acceptance was also significantly related to both interpersonal power and prestige. Results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that perceived parental acceptance and interpersonal prestige made significant independent contributions to children’s (both boys’ and girls’) psychological adjustment. Analyses of the interactions between these variables revealed a moderating role of both perceived interpersonal power and prestige in the relationship between perceived paternal acceptance and children’s psychological adjustment.

Reactive temperament traits and behavioural problems in children: the mediating role of effortful control across sex and age

Abstract This study examines the mediating role of effortful control between reactive temperament traits (negative affectivity and extraversion) and children’s internalizing and externalizing behavioural problems. The sample was composed of 424 non-clinical children from 3 to 6 years of age (60% male). Use of a structural equation model revealed effortful control-mediated relations between reactive temperament traits and behavioural problems. Nevertheless, uniquely and directly, negative affect predicted externalizing problems and extraversion predicted internalizing problems. Assessment of invariance by children’s sex showed that the mediating role of effortful control tends to be stronger for externalizing problems in boys than in girls. Results showed no significant age differences. According to these results, effortful control as a method of self-regulation seems to be an essential process through which reactive temperament traits affect a child’s psychological adjustment.

Father involvement and children’s psychological adjustment: maternal and paternal acceptance as mediators

ABSTRACT Research has shown that father involvement and children’s perceived parental warmth contribute significantly to children’s psychological adjustment. This study examines the mediating role of parental acceptance (i.e. that of mothers and fathers) between the father’s involvement and the child’s psychological adjustment in terms of personality dispositions and behavioral problems (internalizing and externalizing). The sample was composed of 1036 non-clinical children from 9 to 19 years old (45.1% males) who completed the Parental Acceptance‒Rejection Questionnaire, the Personality Assessment Questionnaire, the Youth Self-Report, and the Father Involvement Scale. The use of a structural equation model revealed that both father involvement and parental acceptance made significant and independent contributions to children’s outcomes. However, relationships between father involvement and children’s outcomes were mediated by both paternal acceptance and paternal acceptance via maternal acceptance. Father’s residential status, and children’s sex and age were considered as moderators. The father involvement in resident fathers had a stronger impact on perceived paternal acceptance, and father involvement on children’s psychological adjustment was no longer significant for boys (not girls) when parental acceptance is considered as mediator. No age differences were found in the tested model. In conclusion, the findings show that the father’s involvement creates an interpersonal context of love and warmth by which both the father and the mother increase the child’s psychological adjustment.

Incremental Validity and Informant Effect from a Multi-Method Perspective: Assessing Relations between Parental Acceptance and Children’s Behavioral Problems

This study examines the relationships between perceived parental acceptance and children’s behavioral problems (externalizing and internalizing) from a multi-informant perspective. Using mothers, fathers, and children as sources of information, we explore the informant effect and incremental validity. The sample was composed of 681 participants (227 children, 227 fathers, and 227 mothers). Children’s (40% boys) ages ranged from 9 to 17 years (M = 12.52, SD = 1.81). Parents and children completed both the Parental Acceptance Rejection/Control Questionnaire (PARQ/Control) and the check list of the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA). Statistical analyses were based on the correlated uniqueness multitrait-multimethod matrix (model MTMM) by structural equations and different hierarchical regression analyses. Results showed a significant informant effect and a different incremental validity related to which combination of sources was considered. A multi-informant perspective rather than a single one increased the predictive value. Our results suggest that mother–father or child–father combinations seem to be the best way to optimize the multi-informant method in order to predict children’s behavioral problems based on perceived parental acceptance.

Perceived Experience of Fatigue in Clinical and General Population: Descriptors and Associated Reactivities

The aim of this study is the analysis of different descriptors and reactions related to the experience of fatigue. Two groups were compared: a clinical sample (n = 92, 31 males, mean age = 38.87) and a non-clinical (n = 225, 135 males, mean age = 32.45) sample. The total sample was composed of 317 participants (52% males), ranging in age from 18 to 76 years. Findings show the experience of fatigue was mainly related to somatic terms (76% of the total sample). Specific results were found only for the clinical group: (a) significant relationships between fatigue and anxiety, χ2(1) = 34.71, p < .01; tension, χ2(1) = 16.80, p < .01; and sadness, χ2(1) = 24.59, p < .01; (b) higher intensity of fatigue (F = 84.15, p = .001), and predominance of the cognitive components of fatigue. Results showed that fatigue in subjects with a clinical disorder (versus those without) was associated both, to negative emotional states, and to a higher intensity of fatigue, especially in its cognitive elements. Important clinical implications for its assessment and intervention are discussed.

Aggressive Behavior in Children: the Role of Temperament and Family Socialization

This studys objective is to analyze temperament and parenting variables as they relate to proactive and reactive aggression in children. To be specific, profiles based on these variables were analyzed in children with high levels of proactive versus reactive aggression. The sample was made up of two groups: 482 children (52.3% boys) between 1 and 3 years-old, and 422 children (42.42% boys) 3 to 6 years-old. Statistical analyses of the two age groups included: Pearsons correlations to explore the relationships among variables, Cluster Analysis to create groups with different levels of aggression, and finally discriminant analysis to determine which variables discriminate between groups. The results show that high levels of frustration/negative affect in the 1-3 year-old group and low effortful control in children 3 to 6 years old are the most relevant variables in differentiating between aggressive and non-aggressive subjects. Nevertheless, differential profiles of subjects with high levels of proactive versus reactive aggression were not observed. The implications of these different types of aggression in terms of development and prevention are discussed.

Developmental Outcomes, Attachment and Parenting: Study of a Sample of Spanish Premature Children

The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the development of premature children, including attachment, child psychological adjustment and parental variables. 130 children < 1,500 g or < 32 weeks at birth from two public hospitals, assessed at two years corrected age, together with their parents. Parental socio-demographic data was collected. Infant development, attachment and child psychological adjustment were evaluated, as was parental stress. The percentage of preterm children with developmental delays ranged from 5% to 21%. Girls tend to show higher levels of development than boys with effect sizes ranging from small, η2p = .02, to medium, η2p = .07. Secure attachment was the most frequent pattern in the sample. No significant differences, p < .05, between preterm children and the normative population were found on children´s behavioral problems and maternal stress levels. Despite the fact prematurity is considered to be a risk factor for a child´s development, a significant proportion of these children do not show problems in terms of developmental levels, attachment pattern and maternal stress. However, socio-emotional and affective domains, as well as psychological support programs for parenthood, should be followed up from a multidisciplinary perspective.