Abstract
In this study the risk factors for problem behaviour in childhood were investigated, and differences between ethnic minority and majority children were examined. The study had two main goals. Firstly, to examine the differences in problem behaviour between ethnic minority and majority children and to explore variation in children's adjustment within the Indian group according to parental acculturation style. Secondly, to identify the risk factors for problem behaviour and to investigate the manner by which they act together in putting children at risk. The sample consisted of 125 children between the ages of 7 and 9.6 (M=8.51, SD=.62) and their parents. Fifty-nine children were English (28 boys and 31 girls) and 66 were Indian (36 boys and 30 girls). Parents and teachers completed questionnaires regarding the children's problem behaviour. Both mothers and fathers provided reports of the children's temperament, their parenting style, their use of discipline, marital satisfaction, social support and job spillover. In addition, the children's IQ was assessed, and the children also reported about their own self-worth, their parents' behaviour, the sibling relationship, and friendship quality. Finally, parent-child mutuality and parenting behaviour were coded from a videotaped parent-child interaction task. Addressing the first goal, results indicated that Indian children exhibited more internalising problems than their English peers. Furthermore, within the Indian group, children of mothers who adopted a marginalisation style of acculturation, and whose parents spoke less of their Indian language, exhibited more problem behaviours. Addressing the second goal, results supported the cumulative model, indicating that the extent of risk, rather than the specific type of risk, influenced children's behaviour. For example, 47% of the variance of total problem behaviour was accounted for by the cumulative risk index. Support was also found for some mediation effects. Specifically, parenting was revealed as one of the main mediators between risk factors and problem behaviour. Finally, moderation effects were found only for a limited number of cases, suggesting that risk factors act more in an additive than interactive manner. The findings demonstrate the importance of considering multiple risk factors when studying children's problem behaviour, and illustrate the utility of the ecological model.