EFFECT OF CONCENTRATION PROBLEMS ON THE MALLEABILITY OF CHILDRENS AGGRESSIVE AND SHY BEHAVIORS

Objective: Previous research has demonstrated the central role of earl y childhood concentration problems in the development of aggression an d other maladaptive behaviors. The present study investigated the mode rating effect of concentration problems on the impact of a classroom-b ased preventive intervention directed at aggressive and shy behaviors in an epidemiologically defined sample of 1,084 urban first-grade chil dren. Method: Concentration problems, aggressive behavior, and shy beh avior were assessed by a structured teacher interview (the Teacher Obs ervation of Classroom Adaptation-Revised) in the fall and spring of fi rst grade. Results: Children with high ratings on concentration proble ms in the fall had higher levels of teacher-rated aggressive and shy b ehavior in the spring than did children without such problems. The int ervention reduced aggressive and shy behavior in children regardless o f fall concentration level. Boys, but not girls, in the intervention c ondition with high concentration problems had higher levels of spring aggression than those without such problems, but they also showed the greatest reductions in aggressive behavior from fall to spring. Conclu sions: These results suggest that aggressive behavior is malleable in children with concentration problems, provide further evidence on the etiological significance of concentration problems for the development of maladaptive behavior, and highlight the importance of directly tar geting concentration problems to maximize preventive intervention impa ct.