Rough-and-Tumble Play and the Development of Physical Aggression and Emotion Regulation: A Five-Year Follow-Up Study

• NCJ Number: 230227
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 25 Issue: 4 Dated: May 2010 Pages: 357-367
• Author(s): Joseph L. Flanders; Melissa Simard; Daniel Paquette; Sophie Parent; Frank Vitaro; Robert O. Pihl; Jean R. Seguin
• Date Published: May 2010
• Length: 11 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the effects of rough-and-tumble play on early child development.

Abstract

This is a follow-up to a study demonstrating that rough-and-tumble play was related to physical aggression in the preschool years. Fathers reported on the frequency of father-child rough-and-tumble play interactions, and the degree to which fathers were dominant in the play dyad was observed and coded from play interactions. In this follow-up study, school-aged children's physically aggressive behaviors and emotion regulation abilities were assessed with questionnaires 5 years later. Higher frequencies of father-child rough-and-tumble play in the preschool years were associated with more physical aggression and worse emotion regulation 5 years later for children whose fathers were less dominant, over and above the effects of physical aggression in the preschool years. Rough-and-tumble play was unrelated to these measures among children whose fathers were more dominant during play. This study shows that early rough-and-tumble play continues to be related to children's psychosocial adjustment over time, and that the effect remains moderated by the quality of the father-child relationship during play. Tables, figures, and references (Published Abstract)