Influences of Race and Family Environment on Child Hyperactivity and Antisocial Behavior

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, latent growth curve modeling was used to examine relationships between trajectories of child hyperactivity and antisocial behavior symptoms for African Americans (n = 680), European Americans (n = 1195), and Hispanics (n = 432). A systematic examination of predictors of, and interrelationships between, these trajectories was tested based on two distinct models of family influences in the development of child behavior problems. Overall, child hyperactivity mediated the effects of family environment on child antisocial behavior, but with key racial differences. The results indicate the importance of conceptualizing patterns of family interaction as adaptive responses to the environment, rather than individual developmental interactions. Key Words: child behavior, family environment, latent growth curve analysis, racial differences. Although attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is considered one of the most important and prevalent childhood disorders, there is little research regarding family roles in the onset and course of ADHD-related symptoms, or about family roles in the possible connection between ADHD and other childhood behavior disorders (Cantwell, 1996; Goldman, Genel, Bezman, & Slanetz, 1998; Wamboldt & Wamboldt, 2000). Indeed, few studies specifically examine the interrelationships of developmental trajectories of child hyperactivity and antisocial behaviors (Nagin & Tremblay, 1999) and the potential influence of family factors, despite research showing the great importance of social relationships for child development (Reis, Collins, & Berscheid, 2000). Nor has there been much response to the call for a careful examination of the interconnections between child behavioral disorders and family factors (Johnston & Mash, 2001; Lahey, Miller, Gordon, & Riley, 1999). Most importantly, no studies have examined differences in these processes among racial groups. The present study, using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), applied latent growth curve modeling to examine the relationships between individual trajectories of child hyperactivity and antisocial behavior symptoms; the effects of key family factors; and the differences in these relationships between African Americans, European Americans, and Hispanics. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK To address these issues, T propose a conceptual framework for the interrelationships between family environment and child behaviors, testing two different developmental perspectives that have been recently presented (Figure 1). Loeber, Green, Lahey, Frick, and McBurnett (2000) proposed that symptoms of ADHD (hereafter referred to as hyperactivity) activate other behavioral disorders, such as oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. Family risk factors influence which youth move from oppositional defiant disorder to conduct disorder, whereas individual risk factors that emerge early in life, such as temperament and intelligence, serve as predispositions to hyperactivity (Loeber et al.). The open lines in Figure 1 indicate the pathways adapted from the developmental model proposed by Loeber et al., showing the separate role of family factors for child hyperactivity and child antisocial behavior. Alternatively, Patterson, DeGarmo, and Knutson (2000) proposed that hyperactivity forms the first stage and antisocial behaviors form the second stage in an overall progression that can lead to later delinquency. Fundamentally, behavior problems arise from similar family factors, especially disrupted parental discipline (Patterson et al.). The solid lines in Figure 1 indicate the pathways adapted from Patterson et al., showing that child hyperactivity and antisocial behavior arise from the same family factors. Although considerable overlap exists between the models shown in Figure 1, families serve very different functions within these perspectives, particularly regarding their influence on interrelationships between developmental trajectories of symptoms of disruptive behaviors. …