Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-17-2017

Faculty Sponsor

Jennifer Weaver

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine associations between maternal age, at the time of birth of their child, and aggressive behaviors in children at ages four to seven. The hypothesis being tested was maternal age, at the time of birth of their child, is negatively correlated to aggressive behaviors in the child. The scores of aggressive behavior reports completed by the mother, father, and teacher of the children were analyzed using a linear regression and examined for significant associations between the variables. Data were collected from 1,364 families by the NICHD’s SECCYD for this research. It was found that maternal age at the time of the child’s birth was significantly negatively associated with aggressive behaviors in the child as reported by the mother and father verifying the hypothesis. However, there was no significant finding in the teacher’s report, which does not coincide with the hypothesis. The associations found in this research determined that younger maternal age does have an association to higher aggressive behaviors in children as reported by the parents.

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