Longitudinal Associations Between Parenting and Child Behaviour Problems and the Moderating Effect of Child Callous Unemotional Traits in Foster and Biological Families

Child Psychiatry & Human Development, vol. 54, pp. 1274–1286

Abstract

The goals of the current study were to examine (i) differences in parenting between foster and biological parents, (ii) the longitudinal associations with children's internalising and externalising problems and iii) the potential moderation of these by children's callous-unemotional traits (CU traits). Data from 86 foster children (M = 4.44 years, male = 48%) and 148 biological children (M = 3.69 years, male = 49%) with their families were analysed in a longitudinal study with three measurement times. Parenting behaviour did not significantly differ between the foster and biological family groups. Significant longitudinal cross-lagged effects were found for parental warmth and support and children's externalising problems. CU traits moderated the relationship between warmth and support and externalising problems of children. Findings suggest that parenting behaviours and child psychopathology do influence each other over time reciprocally and to a similar extent in both groups. However, there was also evidence for greater temporal stability of psychopathological symptoms and reduced responsivity to parental warmth in children with higher CU traits.

Authors 6

1. Sabrina Schütte corresponding

   Bielefeld University

   Affiliation as printed

   Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, University of Bielefeld, P.O. Box 10 01 31, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany. sabrina.chodura@uni-bielefeld.de

   Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany

2. Arnold Lohaus

   Bielefeld University

   Affiliation as printed

   Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, University of Bielefeld, P.O. Box 10 01 31, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany

   Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany

3. Tabea Symanzik

   Bielefeld University

   Affiliation as printed

   Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, University of Bielefeld, P.O. Box 10 01 31, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany

   Developmental Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology, Department of Psychology, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany

4. Nina Heinrichs

   University of Bremen

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

5. Kerstin Konrad Aachen Child Neuropsychology Section Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Medical Faculty JARA-Brain Institute II

   Jülich Aachen Research Alliance · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

   JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Juelich, Aachen, Germany

6. Vanessa Reindl Aachen Child Neuropsychology Section Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Medical Faculty JARA-Brain Institute II

   Jülich Aachen Research Alliance · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

   JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Juelich, Aachen, Germany