Independent and interactive associations of temperament dimensions with educational outcomes in young adolescents

Author(s)

Hoffmann, Mauricio Scopel ^{[1, 2, 3, 4]} ; Pan, Pedro Mario ^{[1, 5]} ; Manfro, Gisele Gus ^{[1, 6]} ; Mari, Jair de Jesus ^{[1, 5]} ; Miguel, Euripedes Constantino ^{[1, 7]} ; Bressan, Rodrigo Affonseca ^{[1, 5]} ; Rohde, Luis Augusto ^{[1, 6]} ; Salum, Giovanni Abrahao ^{[1, 6]}

Affiliation

^[1] Natl Inst Dev Psychiat Children & Adolescents INC, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Santa Maria, Ave Roraima 1000, Bldg 26, Off 1446, BR-97105900 Santa Maria, RS - Brazil

^[3] London Sch Econ & Polit Sci, Houghton St, London WC2A 2AE - England

^[4] London Sch Econ & Polit Sci, Fawcett House, Off FAW 5-01B, Phone Branch 6051, London WC2A 2AE - England

^[5] Univ Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Rua Borges Lagoa 570, BR-04038000 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[6] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2350, BR-90035003 Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

^[7] Univ Sao Paulo, Rua Dr Ovidio Pires de Campos 785, BR-01060970 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES; v. 78, FEB 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Few studies investigate temperament interactions and its association with education in young adolescents. Here we examine a sample of 1540 adolescents (9-14 years of age, 733 females) from a community-based study in Brazil. Temperament was derived from adolescents' reports to the Early Adolescence Temperament Questionnaire. Educational outcomes were measured by counting suspension, repetition and dropout events, parent reports on overall academic performance and by reading and writing standardized tests. We used mixed effects models to test associations of temperament dimensions with educational outcomes and tested interactions among effortful control and affective temperament dimensions. Models including temperament were adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, intelligence and psychopathology. We found that high effortful control and fear were independently associated with better educational measurements, whereas high levels of frustration and surgency were independently associated with worse educational measurements. When all temperament dimensions were included at the same time, effortful control was the only significant predictor for educational outcomes. After multiple comparisons adjustment, effortful control and frustration interacts, such that low frustration and low effortful control were a detrimental combination for poor reading ability. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 08/57896-8 - National Institute for Developmental Psychiatry
• Grantee: Eurípedes Constantino Miguel Filho
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants