BACKGROUND: Poor self-regulation during preschool and early school age years is associated with rapid weight gain. However, the association between self-regulatory capacities in infancy and weight status in early childhood has not been well studied. Objective: Examine prospective associations between infant self-regulation and body mass index (BMI) in early childhood. We hypothesized that infants exhibiting less optimal self-regulation would be at greater risk of obesity at 3–5 years of life. METHODS: We used data from 5750 children in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), excluding premature infants and infants small or large for gestational age. Our primary predictor was infant self-regulation measured at age 9 months by parent completion of the Infant Toddler Symptom Checklist (ITSC). We defined child obesity at preschool and kindergarten age (approximately 4 years and 5–6 years respectively) as a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 95th percentile for age and sex by US Centers for Disease Control growth charts. We created logistic regression models comparing risk of obesity at preschool and kindergarten age in infants with ITSC scores ≥ 6 to infants with scores < 6, controlling for covariates. RESULTS: Twenty-one percent of children with ITSC scores ≥ 6 at 9 months were obese at preschool age compared to 16% of children with lower ITSC scores. At kindergarten age this difference decreased to 18% vs. 16% respectively. After adjusting for covariates, infants with ITSC scores ≥ 6 had 32% increased odds of being obese at preschool age (aOR 1.32; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.70) though this association decreased at kindergarten age (aOR 1.07; 95% CI: 0.79, 1.45). CONCLUSIONS: Poor infant self-regulation at 9 months is associated with an increased risk of obesity at preschool entry but not at kindergarten entry. Helping parents manage and respond to children’s self-regulation difficulties prior to preschool age may serve as a focal point for future interventions. / 2016-12-01T00:00:00Z

M.Phil. / Numerous authors have highlighted that there is a dire crisis in leadership for which a new type of leader is required: an authentic leader. Greater authenticity is required from leaders if they are to restore the trust of their followers in them. Authenticity is furthermore something that others must attribute to a person and cannot be expressed freely. The expectations and roles of leaders are such that they have to control the express of their inner authenticity. The influence of temperament on the individual is such that every person’s experience and conceptualisation of authenticity could potentially differ from that of another. In light of the aforementioned the purpose of this study was to explore how leaders from different temperament types manage their individual authenticity to add more value to themselves as well as to others. The study followed a qualitative research approach and made use of the purposeful sampling technique. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II was utilised to identify the temperament types of research participants with whom semi-structured interviews were conducted. The study found that leaders across the four temperament types of Guardian, Idealist, Artisan and Rational define authenticity as a commitment to the true ‘self’, while self-awareness was identified as a critical component in the management of authenticity.

M.A. / While some studies have found reciprocity between migraine and temperament other studies have found that temperament does not play a role in migraine. Research results regarding the relationship between migraine and temperament are therefore contradictory. The motivation for the present study is based on the various contradictions and methodological problems of these studies. The aim is to ascertain if there are statistically significant differences between three groups of subjects namely: 1. Clients with Frequent Migraine (N=10) 2. Clients with Less Frequent Migraine (N=10) 3. Healthy Subjects (N=10) regarding a number of temperament dimensions, specifically: 1. The five subscales of the NEO PI-R (Costa & McCrae) • Neuroticism • Extraversion • Openness • Agreeableness • Conscientiousness 2. The four subscales of the Sensation Seeking Scale (Zuckerman, 1979) • Thrill and Adventure Seeking • Experience Seeking • Disinhibition • Boredom Susceptibility 3. The three subscales of the Pavlovian Temperament Survey (1992) • Strength of Excitation • Strength of Inhibition • Mobility of Nervous Processes 4. The two subscales of the IPAT Anxiety Scale (Cattell, Scheier, & Madge, 1995) • Overt Anxiety • Covert Anxiety The general aim of the present study is to provide substantial research data on the specific theory of temperament and its role in migraine. The theories of Pavlov, Eysenck, Strelau, and Zuckerman offer a theoretical framework for the conceptualisation of temperament. There are indications that certain temperament traits such as, neuroticism, extraversion, anxiety, Type A behaviour, and depression are associated with migraine (Arena, Andrasik & Blanchard, 1985; Rappaport, McAnulty & Brandtley, 1988; Rangaswami, 1983). In contrast to the above studies there are also studies which could not establish a link between migraine and certain temperament traits (Blaszczynski, 1984; Hundleby & Loucks, 1985; Schmidt, Faye, Carney & Fitzsimmons, 1987). Psychology students at the Rand Afrikaans University were chosen as a target group. The subjects had to complete a biographical questionnaire to establish whether they suffered from migraine. From an original group of 122, 30 subjects who met the criteria were selected. These subjects were then divided into three groups namely, Group 1 (Frequent Migraine), Group 2 (Less Frequent Migraine), and Group 3 (Healthy Subjects). The groups were then asked to complete four questionnaires, namely, the NEO PI-R (Costa & McCrae, 1992), the Sensation Seeking Scale (Zuckerman, 1979), the Pavlovian Temperament Survey (1992), and the IPAT Anxiety Scale (Cattell, Scheier, & Madge, 1995). Based on various studies done on the relationship between migraine and temperament, the research question can be formulated as follows. Are there significant differences in certain temperament traits between subjects suffering from frequent migraine, subjects suffering from less frequent migraine, and healthy subjects, regarding their scores on the NEO PI-R, the Sensation Seeking Scale, the Pavlovian Temperament Survey, and the IPAT Anxiety Scale. Statistical analytical techniques, including the MANOVA, ANOVA, and the Scheffe tests, were applied to establish whether there were statistically significant differences between the three groups regarding their scores on the four measuring instruments used. According to the results there were no statistically significant differences between the three groups regarding their vectors of averages on the various subscales of the four measuring instruments. The results are interpreted against the background of studies reported in the literature which also found no association between migraine and temperament. The present study is evaluated with reference to the small sample size and large number of measurements. Recommendations for future research include selecting a large test sample to enable a statistically significant distinction between the various groups. The use of other personality inventories standardised for South African subjects to test other temperament or personality traits is also recommended. Future research could possibly define groups according to other psychosomatic illnesses such as irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, and high blood pressure and establish the possible relationship with certain temperament traits. The measuring of a wide spectrum of temperament and personality traits in order to ascertain the influence of these traits on migraine will provide more of a total picture. Also, the development of a measuring instrument for the diagnosis of migraine that will provide more valid and realistic data on the perception of migraine and also distinguish between migraine and other types of headache, would be useful.

M.A. / Sport in South Africa forms part of the fabric of our society. Unfortunately research into the psychology of sport has largely been overlooked in South Africa and where it has been applied it was based mainly on results arrived at in other countries. The development of future cricketers has enjoyed great success in both Australia and South Africa, with many current international cricketers having been through the respective Academies. The identification of future talent may be facilitated through the use of appropriate psychological interventions. The role of anxiety in sports has been much researched over the past four decades. There have been many theories advanced with regards the role that anxiety plays in effecting sporting performance. There is however a lack of research in a South African context. Foreign studies have found that anxiety (somatic) tends to follow an inverted-U and extremes of anxiety will negatively impact on performance. State anxiety has been found to enjoy an area or zone in which an atWetes performance is enhanced and outside of which performance is negatively effected. Research has found contradictory evidence as to the relationship between cognitive anxiety and performance. It is proposed that there is a negative relationship between the two. Research with regards to temperament has not been conducted in a cricketing context. The Iceberg Profile posits that there is a personality profile which identifies elite athletes. Studies have been conducted using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory and have found that vigour, extraversion and the interest variable were significantly different between athletes and non-athletes. In order to establish whether there is a statistically significant difference in the levels of anxiety between successful and unsuccessful cricketers, three measuring instruments were used. The Revised NEG Personality Inventory, The Sport Competition Anxiety Test and the Profile of Mood States. Temperament differences were examined using the Revised NEG Personality Inventory and the Profile of Mood States. The two groups consisted of 20 male cricketers each. The successful group were all part of the 1999 Plascon Cricket Academy and the other cricketers were from non-premier league cricket sides. The study revealed that the successful group were significantly lower on the Neuroticism scale of the NEG PI-R and were less vulnerable to stress and anger than the unsuccessful group. The study also found that the successful cricketers were more extravert, had more energy, were more receptive to emotions and more sympathetic, less trusting and modest, more straightforward and had higher levels of aspiration than the unsuccessful cricketers. This supported some of the findings of the foreign studies. The Iceberg profile was not supported using the Profile of Mood States however, the fatigue sub-scale was found to be higher for the unsuccessful group. The Sport Competition Anxiety Test did not reveal significant results. A discussion of the results, limitations of the study and recommendations for future research follow this.

The goal of this thesis was to determine the influence of genetic and environmental effects on the development of internalizing problems. Internalizing problems affect millions of children and include problems such as depression, anxiety, and somatization. Temperament is a genetically-based factor that has been shown to influence the development of internalizing problems; specifically reactive temperaments. 5-HTTLPR is a serotonin transcription gene that has also been shown to affect internalizing problems. Parenting is an environmental factor that may influence many factors in children’s lives, including internalizing problems. This thesis examined the effects of parenting, reactivity, and 5-HTTLPR, alone and in interactions with one another, on internalizing problems in preschool-aged children. Further, this thesis proposed that the differential susceptibility model might fit the data, in that children with reactive temperaments or the 5-HTTLPR risk allele might show a differential response to parenting. This study was conducted using a sample of 220 twins and triplets who had previously participated in the Southern Illinois Twins/Triplets and Siblings Study (SITSS). The children’s parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to determine internalizing symptoms at age 5. Buccal cells were collected at two ages, and a parent-child interaction was conducted at age 5 to assess parenting behaviors. Temperament was also examined via parent-completed questionnaire at age 4, using the Child Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ). One important finding of this study was the significant effect of reactivity on internalizing problems. Further, non-positivity in parenting interacted significantly with 5-HTTLPR risk sum. There was a trend toward significance for the interaction between ineffective parenting and 5-HTTLPR risk allele presence or absence. These interactions indicated that the children without the risk allele actually showed the most differential response to parenting, with fewer internalizing problems when parenting was more positive and more internalizing problems when parenting was less positive. Children with the risk allele had a minimal response to parenting in terms of internalizing behaviors. Overall, the results of this study indicate that reactivity is a significant predictor of internalizing problems, and that the 5-HTTLPR gene may moderate this effect. Further studies should be conducted on this subject to further examine the effects parenting and genes have on the development of internalizing problems.

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To examine the relationships among the match between parent and child temperament, parenting behaviors, parenting stress, and young children's behavior problems, the current study investigated the responses of mothers who are raising children between the ages of 3- and 5-years. Mothers completed the Dimensions of Temperament Scale-Revised for Children (Windle & Learner, 1986), the Dimensions of Temperament Scale-Revised for Adults (Windle & Learner, 1986), the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire-Preschool Revision (Clerkin, Marks, Policaro, & Halperin, 2007), the Maternal Emotional Styles Questionnaire (Lagace-Seguin & Coplan, 2005), the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (Abidin, 1995), and the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000, 2001). Using cluster analyses, results of this study revealed two temperament clusters (i.e., Difficult Temperament and Easy Temperament) between mothers and their young children. Results revealed that mothers in the difficult temperament cluster report using less positive parenting, less emotion-coaching parenting, and more negative/inconsistent parenting. They also report a higher level of parenting stress. Additionally, results indicated that, when all variables were examined together, only mothers' ratings of parenting stress contribute significantly to their young children's internalizing behavior problems and only mothers' ratings of parenting stress and punitive parenting behavior contribute to their young children's externalizing behavior problems. Further, results also revealed that parenting stress fully mediates the relationship between the mother-child temperament match and young children's behavior problems. Such findings suggested that interventions would benefit from targeting parents' own temperamental characteristics and how these characteristics fit with the characteristics of their young children as well as from addressing the role that this match plays in predicting parenting stress and young children's emotional and behavioral problems.

This study addresses how the temperament characteristics of seven year old learning disabled students are viewed in relation to those of the normally achieving students. Teacher perceptions, parent perceptions, and teacher versus parent perceptions are examined utilizing the six dimensions (activity, adaptability, approach/withdrawal, intensity, distractibility, and persistence) and the three factors (emotionality, sociability, and persistence) of the Temperament Assessment Battery.

No description available.