Relations between maternal parenting styles and callous-unemotional behavior in Chinese children: A longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on maternal parenting styles and children's callous-unemotional behavior (CU behavior) have focused on the West, and few studies have examined the longitudinal relationship between maternal parenting styles and CU behavior using Chinese preschoolers as subjects. OBJECTIVE: Through a 1.5-year longitudinal lens, this study probed the relations between maternal parenting styles and CU behavior in the Chinese cultural setting. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were N = 492 Chinese young children (Mage = 52.44 months, SD = 5.00, 48 % girls). METHODS: At Time 1 (T1), mothers reported their use of authoritative parenting styles (i.e., warmth, reasoning, and autonomy), authoritarian parenting styles (i.e., physical coercion, verbal hostility, and nonreasoning) and children's CU behavior. At Time 2 (T2; approximately 1.5 years later), mothers again reported the above variables. RESULTS: Cross-lagged models indicated that maternal warmth, reasoning, autonomy, and nonreasoning at T1 predicted CU behavior at T2. However, not only did maternal physical coercion and verbal hostility at T1 predict CU behavior at T2, but CU behavior at T1 also predicted maternal physical coercion and verbal hostility at T2. Additionally, there were no gender differences in the relationship between dimensions of maternal parenting styles and CU behavior. CONCLUSIONS: It underscores the influence of authoritative parenting in potentially mitigating CU behavior, while authoritarian approaches may exacerbate CU behavior. The absence of gender differences suggests these dynamics are broadly applicable across genders. These findings have significant implications for parenting strategies aimed at addressing CU behavior in children, emphasizing the need for warmth, reasoning, and autonomy in parenting practices.

Callous-Unemotional Traits as an Intervention Target and Moderator of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy-Emotion Development Treatment for Preschool Depression and Conduct Problems.

OBJECTIVE: Callous-unemotional (CU) traits-characterized by low empathy, prosociality, and guilt-predict severe and persistent conduct problems. Although some interventions for conduct problems have been less effective in children with high levels of CU traits, studies have not examined whether CU traits interfere with treatment for other childhood disorders. Moreover, few treatments have demonstrated efficacy in decreasing CU traits themselves in early childhood. This study examined whether Parent-Child Interaction Therapy-Emotion Development (PCIT-ED), a novel PCIT adaptation that promotes emotional competence with demonstrated efficacy in treating preschool-onset major depressive disorder and oppositional defiant disorder, was also effective in treating these disorders in children displaying higher levels of CU traits. The study also examined whether PCIT-ED treatment produced significant and sustained decreases in CU traits. METHOD: This study examined 3- to 5-year-olds (N = 114) with preschool-onset major depressive disorder who completed the PCIT-ED trial. Children were randomly assigned to either immediate PCIT-ED treatment (n = 64) or a waitlist control condition (n = 50) in which they received the active treatment after 18 weeks. Psychiatric diagnoses and severity and CU traits in children were assessed at baseline, immediately after treatment, and 18 weeks after treatment completion. RESULTS: Compared with the waitlist, PCIT-ED effectively reduced major depressive disorder and oppositional defiant disorder in preschoolers, regardless of initial levels of CU traits. Moreover, CU traits decreased from before to after treatment, and this treatment effect was sustained 18 weeks after treatment. CONCLUSION: Results support that novel interventions that enhance emotional development display significant promise in treating CU traits-behaviors that left untreated predict severe conduct problems, criminality, and substance use. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: A Randomized Controlled Trial of PCIT-ED for Preschool Depression; https://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT02076425.

Early Callous-Unemotional Behavior, Theory-of-Mind, and a Fearful/Inhibited Temperament Predict Externalizing Problems in Middle and Late Childhood.

Childhood externalizing problems are more likely to be severe and persistent when combined with high levels of callous-unemotional (CU) behavior. A handful of recent studies have shown that CU behavior can also be reliably measured in the early preschool years, which may help to identify young children who are less likely to desist from early externalizing behaviors. The current study extends previous literature by examining the role of CU behavior in very early childhood in the prediction of externalizing problems in both middle and late childhood, and tests whether other relevant child characteristics, including Theory-of-Mind (ToM) and fearful/inhibited temperament moderate these pathways. Multi-method data, including parent reports of child CU behavior and fearful/inhibited temperament, observations of ToM, and teacher-reported externalizing problems were drawn from a prospective, longitudinal study of children assessed at ages 3, 6, and 10 (N = 241; 48 % female). Results demonstrated that high levels of CU behavior predicted externalizing problems at ages 6 and 10 over and above the effect of earlier externalizing problems at age 3, but that these main effects were qualified by two interactions. High CU behavior was related to higher levels of externalizing problems specifically for children with low ToM and a low fearful/inhibited temperament. The results show that a multitude of child characteristics likely interact across development to increase or buffer risk for child externalizing problems. These findings can inform the development of targeted early prevention and intervention for children with high CU behavior.