Behavioral profiles related with distinctdevelopmental patterns of negativeemotionality from preschool to school ages

espanolPerfiles comportamentales y su relacion con patrones diferenciales de desarrollo de la emocionalidad negativa desde la etapa preescolar a la escolar. La investigacion continua profundizando en torno a los mecanismos explicativos tempranos relacionados con la presencia de problemas externalizantes e internalizantes concurrentes. Existe una creciente evidencia que destaca la capacidad de la emocionalidad negativa para predecir la concurrencia de estos problemas durante la infancia. Este rasgo parece cursar con una estabilidad sustancial durante el desarrollo; no obstante, tambien se reconoce cierta variacion en su intensidad en funcion de las caracteristicas individuales, del entorno y la etapa del desarrollo. El objetivo del presente trabajo es examinar los patrones de estabilidad y cambio de la emocionalidad negativa que exhiben ninos/as con perfiles diferenciales de problemas externalizantes e internalizantes, centrando la atencion sobre el perfil concurrente. Un total de 1293 ninos/as de 4-6 anos (M = 4,64; DT = .67; 50.2% ninas) fueron evaluados durante la etapa preescolar y tras dos anos hasta su paso a la escolarizacion primaria dentro del marco del Proyecto ELISA. Se emplearon analisis de perfiles y transiciones latentes. Los resultados mostraron que los preescolares se mantuvieron estables en sus niveles de emocionalidad negativa durante el seguimiento, y con menor probabilidad cambiaron su expresion emocional hacia formas menos intensas. Ademas, los perfiles comportamentales se relacionaron con patrones particulares de desarrollo de la emocionalidad negativa. Los ninos/as del perfil concurrente exhibieron una mayor probabilidad de evolucionar hacia niveles altos de emocionalidad negativa. Estos hallazgos se explican a la luz de las diferencias individuales en el desarrollo de las caracteristicas temperamentales, derivadas de la interaccion entre factores biologicos y ambientales. EnglishResearch continues to work towards a full understanding of the early risk factors and mechanisms underlying the co-occurrence of externalizing and internalizing problems. There is increasing evidence of negative emotionality predicting the co-occurring forms of these problems over childhood. This feature may show substantial stability along development; however, negative emotionality might also vary depending on child characteristics, environment, and the developmental stage. The present study aimed to examine the patterns of stability and change of negative emotionality from preschool to school years, and to identify which of these patterns lead to different behavioral profiles of externalizing and internalizing problems during school years. A total of 1,293 preschoolers from 4 to 6 years (M = 4.64; SD = .67; 50.2 % girls) were followed-up for two years using parent-reported data, within the frame of the ELISA Project. Latent profile and transition analyses were conducted. The overall results revealed a primarily stability pattern of negative emotionality, and to a lesser extent some change towards a less intense emotional expression after follow-up. Results also showed particular developmental patterns of negative emotionality for the different behavioral profiles identified. Children with co-occurrent externalizing and internalizing problems displayed greater rates of transition towards a high negative emotionality expression. These findings were explained in light of individual differences during the development of temperamental characteristics, which may be the result of an interplay among biological and ecological factors.