Trajectories of preschoolers’ temperament activity and the association with behavior problems and social competence

Activity, as a core dimension of temperament, functions as both a potential risk factor and a resilience factor in psychological development. This study aimed to identify distinct developmental trajectories of temperament activity among preschoolers and to explore their associations with behavior problems and social competence. We conducted a longitudinal follow-up of preschoolers assessed at three time points (ages 3, 4, and 5 years). Using latent class growth analysis (LCGA), we analyzed data from 242 preschoolers (52.06% female; M age = 3.55 years). Three distinct temperament activity trajectories were identified: low decreasing, high stable, and low increasing. Highly stable temperamental activity trajectories were significantly associated with externalizing problems in preschoolers; however, no significant association was found with internalizing problems. Furthermore, preschoolers with lowincreasing and highstable trajectories demonstrated higher social competence. These findings suggest that temperament activity trajectories provide a valuable framework for understanding the development of behavior problems and social competence in early childhood.