Caregiver adverse childhood experiences and preschool externalizing problems: The role of caregiver resilience

Preschool children with externalizing problems are at risk for short- and long-term difficulties and are also influenced by several caregiver factors. One such factor is caregiver adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Research has investigated how caregiver ACEs are related to preschool externalizing problems by identifying risk factors to account for this association. However, research is limited regarding caregiver factors that may be associated to lower preschool externalizing problems. Particularly, resilience may be an adaptive caregiver characteristic that negatively relates to preschool externalizing problems, even when adjusting for caregiver ACEs. The present study sought to address a gap in the literature by examining the impact of differing conceptualizations of caregiver resilience as promotive factors of lower preschool externalizing problems. In other words, the present study tested if caregiver resilience demonstrated main effects in predicting lower preschool externalizing problems regardless of levels of caregiver ACEs. Participants were families recruited from the community and a local Head Start. Results indicated that caregiver positive childhood experiences evinced a significant small to moderate effect on decreased preschool externalizing problems. However, this relation was no longer significant after adjusting for caregiver ACEs. This indicated that caregiver resilience may not provide a promotive effect on preschool externalizing problems when adjusting for caregiver ACEs. Theoretical, clinical, methodological, and future directions are discussed.

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