Developmental trajectories of hyperactive behavior in children from low-income families: A latent variable growth model analysis.

This study explored the developmental trajectories of hyperactive behavior in children from low-income families through four follow-up tests, and further explored the specific effects of coping styles and social support on hyperactive behavior development. The study enrolled 400 children from low-income families in Hunan Province, China. Participants (145 boys and 255 girls) ranged in age from 8 to 17 years old, with a mean age of 11.80 ± 1.70 years. The unconditional potential development model revealed that children from low-income families showed a first-fast and then-slow developmental trend in hyperactive behavior, with significant individual differences in onset level and developmental rate. The conditional potential development model revealed that positive coping styles and social support could significantly reduce the level of hyperactivity among children from low-income families, while negative coping styles positively predicted the development of hyperactivity among children from low-income families. This study highlights the nonlinear developmental trend of hyperactive behavior in children from low-income families and provides some insight into the healthy development of economically disadvantaged children. Parents and teachers should be conscious of hyperactive behavior in children from low-income families and foster positive coping strategies to solve problems while providing the children with the guidance or interventions as necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]