Early childhood parenting and child impulsivity as precursors to aggression, substance use, and risky sexual behavior in adolescence and early adulthood

Abstract

The current study utilized a longitudinal design to explore the effect of early child impulsivity and rejecting parenting on the development of problematic behaviors in adolescence and early adulthood. Using a low-income sample of 310 mothers and their sons, we examined the direct and interactive effects of child impulsivity and rejecting parenting at age 2 on aggression and substance use at ages 12, 15, and 22, as well as risky sexual behavior at ages 15 and 22. Results revealed that rejecting parenting at age 2 predicted greater aggression at age 12 and risky sexual behavior at ages 15 and 22. Early impulsivity had few direct effects on later outcomes, with the exception of greater substance use at age 22. Instead, impulsivity emerged as a significant moderator in the link between rejecting parenting and aggression at all three ages and substance use at age 15. Specifically, early rejecting parenting predicted greater aggression and substance use only for children high in impulsivity. Findings highlight the potential for early child and parenting risk factors to have long-term implications for adjustment, with the combination of high impulsivity and rejecting parenting being particularly deleterious for problems of aggression throughout adolescence and into early adulthood.

Investigating honesty‐humility and impulsivity as predictors of aggression in children and youth

“…The observed relationship between impulsivity and aggression supports a large body of research demonstrating that low impulsivity predicts aggressive behavior across the lifespan (e.g., Hentges et al, ; Moffitt et al, ). In particular, poor impulse control has been reliably associated with a number of problem behaviors, such as physical bullying (Farrell et al, ; Pontzer, ), across a range of age groups (Campbell, Spieker, Burchinal, & Poe, ).…”

“…In particular, poor impulse control has been reliably associated with a number of problem behaviors, such as physical bullying (Farrell et al, ; Pontzer, ), across a range of age groups (Campbell, Spieker, Burchinal, & Poe, ). Nonetheless, some researchers have questioned whether impulsivity on its own is sufficient to account for aggression (Hentges et al, ) and whether other variables, such as a callous disregard for others (Rhee et al, ), also are important. For example, it has been unclear whether impulsivity and HH are independent predictors of aggression in youth, as they have not been examined simultaneously in a single study.…”

“…Further, as behavioral models are advanced, research has examined if impulsivity's predictive validity is limited to specific forms of aggressive behavior and affected by the context in which an individual develops. For instance, when examining the relationships between impulsivity, parenting practices, and aggression over time, Hentges, Shaw, and Wang () found that high impulsivity at age 2 had a direct effect on greater substance use at age 22, but not aggression. Impulsivity; however, moderated the relationship between neglectful parenting at age 2 and greater aggression at age 12, 15, and 22, such that these relationships existed only in children who were high on impulsivity at a young age.…”

Impulsive and premeditated aggression in male offenders with antisocial personality disorder

“…Nevertheless, drug use and problems related to consumption, such as money debts, cravings, and withdrawal [70], may lead to an increase in impulsive aggression. It has been hypothesised that impulsive aggression and drug use may be part of the same spectrum of externalising behaviour [40,71].…”

Personality, romantic relationships, and alcohol use disorder symptoms in adolescence and young adulthood: An evaluation of personality × social context interplay

“…Given this finding, relationship education programs that target individuals based on personality-based risk and teach healthy coping skills may be beneficial at critical turning points in early adulthood when substance use rates spike and later decline (SAMSHA, 2017). Furthermore, results from this study and others (Hentges et al, 2018;Kendler et al, 2011;Samek, Hicks, et al, 2015;Samek, Hicks, Keyes, et al, 2017) suggest that person × environment interactions may be less relevant for young adults than for adolescents with respect to developing substance use problems. This deserves careful attention in future research.…”