Parental treatment, children's temperament, and the risk of childhood behavioral problems: 2. Initial temperament, parental attitudes, and the incidence and form of behavioral problems.

Childhood behavioral problems are found to be related to both early temperament and parental behavior, in that first-year temperament scores predicted mild (but not more severe) problems. A parental pathology scale discriminated more severe cases among girls only; more severe cases among boys were accompanied by negative temperament changes. For both sexes, the form of subsequent behavioral problems was associated with first-year temperament patterns.