Temperament as a moderator of the association of cumulative risk with preadolescent appraisal and coping style

ABSTRACT

Background

Children exposed to cumulative risk (CR) are more likely to have poor physical and psychological health across the lifespan. CR may contribute to children’s adjustment, in part through its effects on appraisal and coping. Further, child temperament may alter the effects of CR on appraisal and coping.

Objective

This study investigated the interactive and prospective effects of CR and temperament on children’s appraisal and coping strategies.

Design and Method

In this secondary data analysis using a community sample (N=306) of preadolescents (M age = 9.5 at T1), structural equations models were conducted to examine temperament negative emotionality (NE) and effortful control (EC) as moderators of the effect of CR on both levels and proportional use of positive and threat appraisals, and active and avoidant coping.

Results

Children higher in NE used more threat appraisal and avoidant coping, whereas children higher in EC used less threat appraisal concurrently and decreased in their use of threat appraisal across 1 year. Both NE and EC altered the prospective effect of CR on appraisal and coping.

Conclusions

Findings suggest temperament alters the effect of CR on appraisal and coping, implicating EC as a resource and NE as a vulnerability in changes in appraisal and coping during preadolescence.

KEYWORDS:

• Cumulative risk
• temperament
• appraisal
• coping
• moderation
• longitudinal

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Earl R. Carlson Graduate Student Fellowship awarded to the first author, as well as grants awarded to the third author from the National Institute of Mental Health (#R29MH57703) and from the University of Washington Royalty Research Fund. The authors thank the families who participated in this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data sharing

Data are available upon request to the third author.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Earl R. Carlson Graduate Student Fellowship awarded to the first author, as well as grants awarded to the third author from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) [#R29MH57703] and from the University of Washington Royalty Research Fund.