Here's some discouraging news for parents of fussy and demanding infants: There may be more problems down the road.

Difficult infants were more prone to being overactive and physically aggressive from preschool through sixth grade at least, a new study found.But parents of difficult children may be able to head off some of the problems at home and in school, said researcher Diana Guerin, associate professsor of child development at California State University in Fullerton.

The key is in how they react to the child's personality, she said after presenting her work Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association.

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Other research suggests that the risk of later behavior problems goes up when parents habitually try to overcome their children's temperament through coercion, such as threats or dragging them away from a game, she said. That sets up a pattern of repeated conflict that may promote later conduct problems, she said.

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