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Callous-Unemotional Behaviors and Harsh Parenting: Reciprocal Associations across Early Childhood and Moderation by Inherited Risk

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Abstract

Callous-unemotional (CU) behaviors increase children’s risk for subsequent antisocial behavior. This risk process may begin in early childhood with reciprocal pathways between CU behaviors and harsh parenting. In a sample of 561 linked triads of biological mothers, adoptive parents, and adopted children, the present study examined bidirectional links between CU behaviors and harsh parenting across three time points from 18 to 54 months and investigated moderation by inherited risk for psychopathic traits. Child CU behaviors and harsh parenting were measured using adoptive mother and adoptive father reports, and biological mothers provided reports of their personality characteristics. Findings supported reciprocal associations between harsh parenting and CU behaviors during early childhood, especially during the transition from toddlerhood (27 months) to the preschool period (54 months). Moreover, multiple-group analyses showed that level of inherited risk moderated associations between CU behaviors and harsh parenting. Specifically, there were statistically reliable associations between CU behaviors at 27 months and adoptive mothers’ harsh parenting at 54 months, and between adoptive fathers’ harsh parenting at 27 months and CU behaviors at 54 months among children at higher inherited risk, but not among those at lower inherited risk. The findings illustrate the dynamic interplay between parenting, CU behaviors, and heritable risk.

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Notes

  1. Because harsh parenting data at 54 months were missing for Cohort II, we reran the identical model but restricted analyses to Cohort I (n = 361). The path from CU behaviors at 27 months to harsh parenting at 54 months was statistically significant (β = .16, p = .01). The path from harsh parenting at 27 months to CU behaviors at 54 months was similar in magnitude but marginally significant (β = .11, p < .07), likely due to the reduced power associated with the smaller sample size.

  2. When we reran the identical model but restricted the sample to Cohort I (n = 361), the path from harsh parenting at 27 months to CU behaviors at 54 months continued to be statistically significant (β = .18, p < .01).

Abbreviations

CU:

Callous-unemotional

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Acknowledgements

The Early Growth and Development Study was supported by grants R01 HD042608 from NICHD, NIDA, and OBSSR, NIH, U.S. PHS (PI Years 1-5: David Reiss; PI Years 6-10: Leslie Leve), R01 DA020585 from NIDA, NIMH, and OBSSR, NIH, U.S. PHS (PI: Jenae Neiderhiser), R01 MH092118 from NIMH, NIH, U. S. PHS (PIs: Jenae Neiderhiser and Leslie Leve), and UG3 OD023389 from the Office of the Director, NIH, U.S. PHS (PIs: Leslie Leve, Jody Ganiban, and Jenae Neiderhiser). Christopher Trentacosta was supported by K01 MH082926 from NIMH, NIH, U.S. PHS. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. The authors thank the biological parents and adoptive families who participated in this study and the adoption agencies who helped with the recruitment of study participants. They also gratefully acknowledge Rand Conger, John Reid, Xiaojia Ge, and Laura Scaramella for their contributions to the larger project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wayne State University, 5057 Woodward Avenue, 7th Floor, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA

    Christopher J. Trentacosta

  2. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Rebecca Waller & Luke W. Hyde

  3. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Rebecca Waller

  4. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Jenae M. Neiderhiser

  5. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Daniel S. Shaw

  6. University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA

    Misaki N. Natsuaki

  7. George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Jody M. Ganiban

  8. Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    David Reiss

  9. University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA

    Leslie D. Leve

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Correspondence to Christopher J. Trentacosta.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

The Early Growth and Development Study was approved by the Institutional Review Boards of George Washington University, the Oregon Social Learning Center, the Pennsylvania State University, the University of California, Davis, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Oregon.

Informed Consent

Biological mothers and adoptive parents provided written informed consent. Adoptive parents also provided written informed consent for the adopted child.

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Trentacosta, C.J., Waller, R., Neiderhiser, J.M. et al. Callous-Unemotional Behaviors and Harsh Parenting: Reciprocal Associations across Early Childhood and Moderation by Inherited Risk. J Abnorm Child Psychol 47, 811–823 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-018-0482-y

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