Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Children and Youth Services Review journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth Predictors of behavioral problems in young children 3 to 9 years old: The role of maternal and child factors Daniel Keyser ⁎ , Haksoon Ahn, Jay Unick University of Maryland, School of Social Work, 525 W. Redwood St., Baltimore, MD 21201, United States ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Child behavior Parent stress Child welfare Multilevel model ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of maternal level factors (maternal depression, maternal spanking, parenting stress) and child level factors (cognitive ability, attachment, child welfare involvement) with children's problem behavior trajectory from age 3 to age 9. The study used data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCW), a 20-city sample of 4898 children born in urban areas in the United States between 1998 and 2001. Results indicate an association of all maternal and child level variables with Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores. The multilevel model analysis indicates having an insecure attachment type at age 3 had the largest increasing impact on child behavior problems from age 3 to 9. Children's cognitive ability also had an increasing impact on child behavior problems over time and the impact of parenting stress at age 3 had a decreasing impact on behavior problems from age 3 to 9. Implications for research and practice are discussed. 1. Introduction The purpose of this study is to assess risk factors and potential predictors of child wellbeing from age 3 to age 9 in vulnerable family environments. Children who come from a vulnerable family environ- ment including poor family functioning, low social support and par- ental psychological distress predicted increased mental health needs of children (Thompson et al., 2007). Despite this risk, few surveys have focused on the complex experiences of children and families at the in- dividual, family and community level in a longitudinal process. Mental health problems have a significant prevalence and impact on children. Approximately 1 out of 5 children in the general population have a mental health disorder (Merikangas et al., 2010). The National Survey of American Families reported 7.5 million children need mental health services but did not receive them (Bringwatt & Gershoff, 2010). Intervention is important in the early years of life and trauma untreated manifests itself through behavior, developmental and mental health problems (Williams et al., 2012). Early childhood is a critical time for social emotional development and what happens in early childhood impacts future child wellbeing. This study will examine the impact of maternal and child characteristics on child behavior from early to middle childhood. Knowing the factors impacting child behavior pro- blems from early to middle childhood will contribute to the literature on the maternal and child factors impacting behavior trajectories. 2. Factors associated with child behavior problems The developmental psychopathology (Cicchetti & Toth, 1995) and life course theory (Elder, 1998) provide a framework for understanding the impact of child and parent factors on children's behavior over time. Developmental psychopathology describes the impact of stress and re- silience factors related to the ability to function in society. Develop- mental psychopathology can be used to describe changes in children's behavior problems across childhood as it is compared to typically de- veloping behavior and has been used to demonstrate the relationship between maltreatment in early childhood and children's behavior pro- blems across childhood (Egeland, Yates, Appleyard, & van Dulmen, 2002; Horwitz, Widom, McLaughlin, & White, 2001; Toth & Cicchetti, 2013). The life course theory highlights the importance of examining the antecedents and consequences of behavior patterns within the context of time (Elder, Johnson, & Crosnoe, 2003). Both the develop- mental psychopathology perspective and life course perspective pro- vide a framework for understanding the association of child and parent factors, and their impact on children's behavior trajectories. Major depression impacts 12 million individuals annually world- wide and is a debilitating disorder (Kessler et al., 2003). Major de- pression among mothers is especially troubling because of the negative impacts on the individual and the effects a mother parenting with de- pression can have on children's wellbeing. Children of mothers with depression can have impaired cognitive and behavioral outcomes and http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.09.018 Received 4 May 2017; Received in revised form 8 September 2017; Accepted 8 September 2017 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: dkeyser@ssw.umaryland.edu (D. Keyser), hahn@ssw.umaryland.edu (H. Ahn), junick@ssw.umaryland.edu (J. Unick). Children and Youth Services Review 82 (2017) 149–155 Available online 09 September 2017 0190-7409/ © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. T