Strengths and Difficulties of 30-month-olds and Features of the Caregiver-Child Interaction

The purpose of this study is to examine the strengths and difficult ies of 30-month-old ch ildren including various features of the caregiver-child interaction, which are considered aspects of social competence. The participants in the study, which was conducted as part of a Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) project, were 370 dyads of children (aged 30 months) and their caregivers. The participants completed two scales—the Interaction Rating Scale (IRS) and the Strengths and Difficu lties Questionnaire (SDQ). There were significant correlations showing three characteristic patterns. First, there were negative correlations between the empathy, motor self-regulation, and emotional self-regulation domains of the IRS, and the hyperactivity-inattention domain o f the SDQ. Second, there were also negative correlat ions between the autonomy, responsiveness, and empathy domains of the IRS and the peer problems domain of the SDQ. Th ird, there were positive correlations between the responsiveness, empathy, and motor self-regulat ion domains of the IRS and the prosocial behavior domain of the SDQ. In addition, with regard to the caregiver-related attributes measured by the IRS, there were negative correlations between the responsiveness-to-child domain of the IRS and the hyperactivity-inattention domain of the SDQ, and between the sensitivity to child do main of the IRS a total difficult ies' score of the SDQ.