- Title
- A longitudinal study assessing the association between quality of rough-and-tumble play and children’s externalising behaviour
- Creator
- Johnson, Abbie G.
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2021
- Description
- Masters Coursework - Master of Clinical Psychology (MClinPsych)
- Description
- Objective: Children’s externalising behaviours (e.g., aggression, hyperactivity) usually decrease after toddlerhood. However, this does not occur for a small portion of children. Recently, research has focused on factors that may impact children’s development and maintenance of externalising behaviours. Rough-and-tumble play is physically stimulating, favoured by fathers, and assists children with emotional regulation, physical activity, and socialising. This study investigated the effects of father-child rough-and-tumble play interactions at 18-24 months on externalising behaviours at 50-60 months. Method: A sample of 72 rural Australian intact families were recruited in 2016 to participate in the study and were invited back to participate in 2019 (Final N = 34). Father’s average age was 37 years and children’s average age was 55 months (20 females, 14 males). Externalising behaviours were assessed by the Child Behaviour Checklist and both rough-and-tumble play Quality and Frequency were measured. The study employed a correlation design between externalising behaviours and child, mother and father demographic characteristics. Results: Although rough-and-tumble play quality and frequency were significantly correlated in 2016, they did not predict externalising behaviours in 2019. Instead, demographic characteristics such as higher child care attendance and higher family income were shown to be predictive of fewer externalising behaviours. Interestingly, the frequency of rough-and-tumble play decreased, but there was no change in quality of rough-and-tumble play across time points. Conclusions: These findings enhance further understanding of risk factors that may affect a child’s development, particularly their engagement in externalising behaviours, and clinical implications for screening at-risk children of later psychopathology are discussed.
- Subject
- externalising behaviours; rough-and-tumble play; emotional regulation
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1468424
- Identifier
- uon:48049
- Rights
- Copyright 2021 Abbie G. Johnson
- Language
- eng
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 1 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 229 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |