Family structure, maternal employment, and change in children’s externalizing problem behaviour: Differences by age and self-regulation

Natasha J. Cabrera, Sandra L. Hofferth, and Gregory Hancock Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA

Research on American school-age children and adolescents shows increased levels of externalizing problem behaviour (EPB) from low levels in the 1970s to high levels in 1999 (Achenbach, Dumenci, & Rescorla, 2003; Collishaw, Gardner, Maughan, Scott, & Pickles, 2012). These rates are alarming, given that EPB is the most common and persistent form of childhood maladjustment with long-term lasting effects (Campbell, 1995; Campbell, Shaw, & Gilliom, 2000). Although the causes of this increase include multiple individual and family-level factors, the centrality of the home in children’s development is undisputable. The

Correspondence should be addressed to Natasha J. Cabrera, HumanDevelopment and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. Email: ncabrera@umd.edu

The contribution of Nicole Forry to data preparation is gratefully acknowledged.