Children's temperament: Does it predict how children cope during conflicts with parents?

The purpose of this study was to explore relations between children's temperament and their coping styles during mother-child conflict. The children in this study (47 boys and 59 girls in the fourth through seventh grades) were measured using maternal reports of nine discrete temperament dimensions. These nine dimensions were reduced to three factors labeled Agreeableness, Rhythmicity, and Restraint. The children also reported on seven dimensions of coping during conflict with their mothers. Factor analysis indicated that these seven dimensions also could be reduced to two factors, labeled Defiant Coping and Helpless Coping. Partial correlations (with the effect of age removed) showed a significant negative relation between Agreeable temperament (e.g., approachable, high mood quality) and Helpless Coping (e.g., fearful, compulsive compliance).