Positive Parenting and Callous-Unemotional Traits: Their Association With School Behavior Problems in Young Children

Abstract

The current study tested the associations of both positive (i.e., warm and responsive) and negative (i.e., harsh and inconsistent) aspects of parenting with callous-unemotional (CU) traits and conduct problems. Caregivers and teachers of 92 ethnically diverse (33% African American) kindergarten students (61% female) were recruited to complete a series of survey measures. Students’ average age was 6.2 (SD = 0.42) years. Parent report of positive parenting practices, but not negative parenting practices, was associated with teacher report of conduct problems. Further, positive parenting interacted with CU traits in their association with conduct problems. Parental use of positive reinforcement was more strongly negatively related to conduct problems for youth with high levels of CU traits, whereas parent–child cooperation was positively related to conduct problems only for youth with low levels of CU traits. Finally, only parental warmth was negatively correlated with CU traits after controlling for level of conduct problems. Results were generally not moderated by the child’s gender or ethnicity. These findings highlight the importance of positive parenting practices for understanding CU traits and as potential targets in clinical interventions to treat children who show elevated levels of these traits.

Notes

¹ These significant interactions were graphed with CU traits as the potential moderator of the association between parenting and ODD symptoms because this was most consistent with the study goals and hypotheses. However, they could also be explored by testing parenting as a moderator of the association between CU traits and ODD symptoms. When graphed in this way, CU traits were significantly positively associated with ODD symptoms at both low levels of positive reinforcement (b* = .704, b = .282, p < .001, 95% CI [0.181, 0.382]) and high levels of positive reinforcement (b* = .394, b = .158, p = .001, 95% CI [0.067, 0.249]). Thus, the association was stronger at low levels positive reinforcement and, when regions of significance are calculated, CU traits were no longer associated with ODD symptoms at 1.16 SD above the mean of positive reinforcement. Similar results were found for positive parent-child cooperation in that CU traits were significantly positively associated with ODD symptoms at both low levels of cooperation (b* = .769, b = .308, p < .001, 95% CI [0.204, 0.411]) and high levels of cooperation (b* = .462, b = .185, p < .001, 95% CI [0.099, 0.271]). Again, the association was weaker at high levels of cooperation and CU traits were no longer associated with ODD symptoms at 1.62 SD above the mean of positive parent-child cooperation.

² The significant interaction between positive reinforcement and CU traits for predicting ODD symptoms remained significant when controlling for inconsistent and punitive dimensions of parenting.

³ When entering all parenting dimensions (positive and negative) as predictors of CU traits in a multiple regression equation, none of the parenting variables accounted for unique variance in CU traits.