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by Elizabeth Ochoa Sierra ยท 2021
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Temperament and psychopathology have been well studied in White populations. However, few studies have investigated expressions of temperament in non-White populations, including Hispanic children. One aspect of temperament, effortful control, has been linked to externalizing and internalizing problems in samples of White children. It is unclear whether associations between effortful control and psychopathology would be identified in children from other cultures. In Hispanic culture, which is considered collectivist, restraint and obedience are encouraged to maintain amiable relations within the group. These values may impact expressions of temperament in children. Given that Hispanics are one of the fastest growing populations in the US, yet remain understudied across many areas of research, it is important to investigate this population. This study aimed to compare temperament, including positive affect, negative affect, and effortful control, between White children and Hispanic children. In addition, a relationship between effortful control (temperament) and internalizing/externalizing problems (psychopathology) in Hispanic children was examined. Given cultural differences, it was predicted that Hispanic children would show similar levels of positive affect and lower levels of negative affect when compared to White children. Additionally, Hispanic children would show higher levels of effortful control than White children. It was also predicted that there would not be a relationship between effortful control and internalizing/externalizing problems in Hispanic children. Findings showed that Hispanic children showed less positive affect than White children. In addition, results did not show a significant difference in negative affect between Hispanic children and White children. Both of these results were unexpected given the theoretical basis for the predictions. These results may be explained by other cultural factors that were not included in the study, such as acculturation, that may have influenced the findings. As predicted, there was sufficient evidence to suggest that the relation between effortful control and internalizing and externalizing problems was not present in the Hispanic sample. This suggests that the well-established relationship between effortful control and externalizing and internalizing problems in White children is not generalizable to children of Hispanic descent. Future studies should examine protective factors that influence this relationship in Hispanic children. Identifying the role of culture in temperament and psychopathology can be complex. However, this study highlights the importance of incorporating culture into the research of temperament and psychopathology. Given the important role of temperament in children's development, it is important to have an understanding of the implications that temperament has for Hispanic children.