Family Environment and Early Behavioral Development: A Structural Analysis of Dependencies

Abstract

Structural analyses of the dependencies between early displays of behavior problems, e.g. aggression, developmental delay, and later family environmental structure are presented for a sample of 19 girls and 16 boys living in the northeastern U.S. Multiple regression analyses show a moderate order of predictability ( R — .56, p < .01) for the regression of an “interpersonal relationships” index on five behavioral indices but a much lower order of predictability ( R — .36, p < .05) for the regression of “organization-control” on these same indices. Although these cross-age (18-mo. interval) correlations are higher than would be expected on the basis of recent theoretical commentary in developmental psychology (Sameroff, 1975), the continuing need for consistent application of multivariate designs within the context of generative models (Barth, 1966) is conspicuous.