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Behaviour in childhood is associated with distinct patterns of partnering in adulthood

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

F. Vergunst ,
Y. Zheng ,
P. Domond ,
F. Vitaro ,
R. Tremblay ,
D. Nagin ,
J. Park  and
S. Cote
F. Vergunst*
Affiliation:
Public Health, University of Montreal, Montréal, Canada
Y. Zheng
Affiliation:
Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
P. Domond
Affiliation:
Public Health, University of Montreal, Montréal, Canada
F. Vitaro
Affiliation:
Psychoeducation, Umiversity of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
R. Tremblay
Affiliation:
Psychoeducation, Umiversity of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
D. Nagin
Affiliation:
Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University, Pitsburgh, United States of America
J. Park
Affiliation:
Health, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Canada
S. Cote
Affiliation:
Public Health, University of Montreal, Montréal, Canada
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Childhood behavioral problems are highly prevalent in school-aged children and are associated with poor long-term outcomes. Yet little is known about their association with patterns of partnering in adulthood.

Objectives

To (1) describe patterns of partnering from age 18-35 years in a large population-based sample, and (2) examine the association between childhood behavioural problems and adult partnering patterns.

Methods

Behavioural ratings were prospectively obtained from teachers when children (n=2960) were aged 10-12 years – for inattention, hyperactivity, aggression-opposition, anxiety and prosociality – and linked to their tax return records from age 18-35 years. We used group-based trajectory modelling to identify distinct trajectories of partnering (married or cohabitating) and multinomial regression models to examine the association between childhood behaviour and trajectory group membership.

Results

Five distinct trajectories of partnering were identified: early-partnered (n=420, 14.4%), mid-partnered (n=620, 21.3%), late-partnered (n=570, 19.2%), early-separated (n=460, 15.5%), and delayed-or-unpartnered (n=890, 30.0%). After adjustment for sex and family background, children rated as being anxious or inattentive were more likely to remain unpartnered from age 18 to 35 years, while those rated as aggressive-oppositional or inattentive were more likely to separate and return to unpartnered status. Prosocial behaviours were consistently associated with earlier and more sustained partnership. Participants in the early-separated and delayed-or-unpartnered trajectories were also more likely to have left high school without a diploma and to have lower earnings.

Conclusions

Childhood behavioural problems were associated with increased likelihood of being unpartnered and of partnership dissolution, which has implications for the psychological health and wellbeing of individuals and their families.

Keywords

ADHDConduct disorderDisruptive behaviours
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S232
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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