Leiden University Student Repository

Van der Horst, Amber (2026)

Wat is de rol van partnertevredenheid en sensitiviteit in het externaliserende probleemgedrag van vierjarige kinderen?

Master thesis | Education and Child Studies (MSc)

This study examined whether partner satisfaction, parental sensitivity, and parental age play a contributing role in the development of externalizing problem behaviour in early childhood. The quality of partner relationship and parental sensitivity in early childhood are crucial for a child’s development. However, the extent to which these factors, together with parental age, contribute to externalizing problem behaviour remains unclear. Gaining a better understanding of these relationships may help inform early interventions aimed at promoting healthy emotional and behavioural development. Parents (N = 146) age 19 to 49 completed an online survey containing different questionnaires. Partner satisfaction was measured using the VGFO-questionnaire and externalizing problem behaviour was measured using the SDQ-A. In addition, home observations were made using the Ainsworth Sensitivity Scale. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was then used to examine the longitudinal relationships...Show moreThis study examined whether partner satisfaction, parental sensitivity, and parental age play a contributing role in the development of externalizing problem behaviour in early childhood. The quality of partner relationship and parental sensitivity in early childhood are crucial for a child’s development. However, the extent to which these factors, together with parental age, contribute to externalizing problem behaviour remains unclear. Gaining a better understanding of these relationships may help inform early interventions aimed at promoting healthy emotional and behavioural development. Parents (N = 146) age 19 to 49 completed an online survey containing different questionnaires. Partner satisfaction was measured using the VGFO-questionnaire and externalizing problem behaviour was measured using the SDQ-A. In addition, home observations were made using the Ainsworth Sensitivity Scale. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was then used to examine the longitudinal relationships between parental sensitivity, partner satisfaction, and children’s externalizing problem behavior. The sample was divided into younger parents (<32 years) and older parents (>33 years) to explore potential moderating effects of parental age. Results indicate that parental sensitivity remained relatively stable across the first four years of life, whereas partner satisfaction showed a more fluctuating pattern, with higher levels immediately after birth followed by a gradual decline until the child was four years old. Parental sensitivity was not a significant predictor of children’s externalizing problem behavior at age four. Partner satisfaction, however, predicted externalizing behavior only when measured at the child’s age of two. Notably, parental age moderated this relationship: among older parents, higher partner satisfaction at birth was associated with lower externalizing behavior, whereas among younger parents, higher partner satisfaction at birth was related to higher externalizing behavior. These findings underscore the need for interventions and prevention programs that target both parenting practices and the parental relationship to support optimal developmental outcomes for children.Show less

Author

Van der Horst, Amber

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Forensische gezinspedagogiek

Supervisors

Nefs, H. T.

ECTS Credits

20

Language

nl