Sex Differences in the Activity Level of Preschool Children as a Possible Precursor of Hyperactivity

Abstract

The major objective of the present study was to determine whether or not preschool age boys had a higher activity level than girls. While it is a widely known fact that more boys than girls are referred to specialists for being hyperactive, the question of whether a sex-linked pattern of hyperactivity is observable in the general population remains unanswered. To investigate this issue, the activity levels of preschool children from a "normal" sample were measured randomly by an observation technique as they took part in a nursery school program. The results not only indicated that boys were more active than girls, but that the boy's behavioral activity was manifested in patterns that were similar in nature to those often included as part of the various definitions of hyperactivity. The implication of the results were discussed, and future research needs were delineated.

The Preschool Behaviour Questionnaire: A useful index of behaviour problems in elementary school-age children?

“…Yet, on the whole, the interpersonal problem-solving skills of these children were not nearly as impoverished as those of children rated as aggressive. Taken together, the observed socially immature and disruptive (negative interactions) play of the hyperactive-distractible group is clearly supportive of earlier research with preschool (Goggin, 1975; Rubin & Clark, 1983) and kindergarten-aged children (Cohen, Sullivan, Minde, Novak & Helwig, 1981). The finding that hyperactive children are less popular than their classmates likewise supports earlier research (Klein & Young, 1979).…”

A genetically informed longitudinal study of early-life temperament and childhood aggression

“…Quantitative sex differences, or differences in the degree to which a trait is expressed between boys and girls, have been found for both temperament and aggression. Specifically, several studies have reported quantitative sex differences for activity (Campbell & Eaton, 1999;Eaton & Yu, 1989;Goggin, 1975), effortful control (Else-Quest et al, 2006;Gagne et al, 2013), and sociability (Gunnar & Donahue, 1980;Olino et al, 2013), showing that boys exhibit higher levels of activity, lower levels of effortful control, and lower levels of sociability than girls. Boys have also been shown to exhibit higher levels of aggression than girls (Eme, 2016;Mayes et al, 2020).…”

The Prevalence of Behavioural Problems in Three Types of Preschool Group

“…Many studies have shown that specific behaviours such as overactivity or aggression in groups are more often shown by preschool boys than girls (Goggin, 1975;Manning, Heron & Marshall 1978;Smith & Green, 1975;Tizard, Philps & Plewis, 1976), and that school-age boys also have more conduct disorders (Chazan & Jackson, 1971;Rutter et al, 1970;Webb, 1967). We were particularly interested to see whether there were sex differences in overall adjustment in preschool settings since studies based upon parental information have not found marked differences between the numbers of preschool girls or boys with behavioural or erriotional problems at home (Coleman, Wolkind & Ashley, 1977;Earls & Richman, 1980;Richman, Stevenson & Graham, 1982).…”