Positive and protective: effects of early theory of mind on problem behaviors in at-risk preschoolers

Background:  Exposure to harsh parenting and children's skills in 'Theory of Mind' (ToM) show independent and interacting associations with problem behaviors at age 2 ( Hughes & Ensor, 2006 ). This study examined whether these age-2 measures also predict age-4 problem behaviors.
Method:  In a socially diverse sample ( N  = 120), multi-informant, multi-measure, multi-setting ratings indexed problem behaviors at ages 2, 3 and 4; children completed both ToM and verbal-ability tasks at age 2, while video-based ratings of maternal negative affect and control within dyadic mother-child play indexed harsh parenting.
Results:  Age-2 harsh parenting and ToM were independent and interacting predictors of age-4 problem behaviors, even with age-2 problem behaviors, verbal ability and social disadvantage all controlled. The interaction between harsh parenting and ToM distinguished persistent vs. diminishing problem behaviors.
Conclusions:  Both child and family characteristics predict increases in problem behaviors from 2 to 4; adverse effects of harsh parenting are attenuated for children with good ToM skills.