The Role of Motor Control in the Development of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems and Prosocial Behaviour in Preschool Age.

Introduction: Previous scholars emphasized the importance of good motor coordination, which positively influences emotional and behavioral development. At the same time, difficulties in movement control can lead to emotional and self-regulation challenges (Cameron et al.,2016). School-age children with movement difficulties also show high rates of internalizing emotional and behavioral problems (Crane et al.,2017) and/or externalizing symptoms (Kennedy et al.,2013). This contribution explores the link between motor coordination development and social and emotional skills in the unexplored early childhood period. Method: Parents of 429 children (223 boys,M=48.7,SD=8.43) completed the Little Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (LDCDQ;Rihtman,2011),which assesses the control during movement (α=.90), the fine motor (α=.88), and the general coordination (α=.84), and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ;Goodman,1997),which assesses internalizing (α=.60) and externalizing (α=.70) problems and prosocial behaviors (α=.70). We conducted correlation analyses and hierarchical linear regression analyses to understand the LDCDQ subscales' role in internalizing and externalizing problems and prosocial behaviors. Results: Correlation analyses revealed that all the subscales of the LDCDQ were negatively related to internalizing (rs from -.25 to -.35,p< .001) and externalizing (rs from -.20 to -.34,p< .001) problems and positively associated with prosocial behaviors (rs from .23 to .28,p< .001). Findings from regression analyses suggested that the control during movement subscale was negatively related to internalizing problems for both boys (R2=.14; β= -.27, p=.01) and girls (R2=.14; β= -.34, p=.01). The general coordination subscale was negatively associated with externalizing problems for both boys (R2=.14;β=-.33,p=.01) and girls (R2=.10; β=-.34,p=.01). Finally, results suggested that only in girls (R2=.16;β= .35,p=.01), and not in boys (R2=.15;β=.14,p=.24), the general coordination subscale was positively related to prosocial behaviors. Discussion: This study highlights that motor difficulties in preschool children can influence their ability to interact with peers and how they deal with social and emotional situations. These results underscore the importance of further research in early childhood, as studies on this age group are lacking.