Developmental trajectories of disruptive behavior problems in preschool children of adolescent mothers

Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), we analyzed individual developmen tal trajectories of disruptive behavior problems between ages 3.5 to 6.0 ye ars for 183 children of adolescent mothers. We examined how the level of pr oblem behavior (intercept) and the rate of change over time (slope) are inf luenced by child's sex, mother's depression/anxiety symptoms, and mother's use of negative control for regulating child behavior. On average, disrupti ve behavior decreased from age 3.5 to 6.0. Child sex and maternal depressio n/anxiety related to the level of behavior problems but not to the rate of change. Boys and children of more depressed/ anxious mothers exhibited high er levels of disruptive behavior. Maternal negative control was associated with both level of disruptive behavior and rate of change, and negative con trol mediated the effects of maternal depression/anxiety. Greater negative control corresponded to higher levels of behavior problems and no reduction in their display over time. Child race moderated effects of negative contr ol.