Promoting Empathy and Affiliation in Relationships (PEAR) study: protocol for a longitudinal study investigating the development of early childhood callous-unemotional traits

BMJ Open, vol. 13, pp. e072742

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Children with callous-unemotional (CU) traits are at high lifetime risk of antisocial behaviour. Low affiliation (ie, social bonding difficulties) and fearlessness (ie, low threat sensitivity) are proposed risk factors for CU traits. Parenting practices (eg, harshness and low warmth) also predict risk for CU traits. However, few studies in early childhood have identified attentional or physiological markers of low affiliation and fearlessness. Moreover, no studies have tested whether parenting practices are underpinned by low affiliation or fearlessness shared by parents, which could further shape parent-child interactions and exacerbate risk for CU traits. Addressing these questions will inform knowledge of how CU traits develop and isolate novel parent and child targets for future specialised treatments for CU traits. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The Promoting Empathy and Affiliation in Relationships (PEAR) study aims to establish risk factors for CU traits in children aged 3-6 years. The PEAR study will recruit 500 parent-child dyads from two metropolitan areas of the USA. Parents and children will complete questionnaires, computer tasks and observational assessments, alongside collection of eye-tracking and physiological data, when children are aged 3-4 (time 1) and 5-6 (time 2) years. The moderating roles of child sex, race and ethnicity, family and neighbourhood disadvantage, and parental psychopathology will also be assessed. Study aims will be addressed using structural equation modelling, which will allow for flexible characterisation of low affiliation, fearlessness and parenting practices as risk factors for CU traits across multiple domains. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was granted by Boston University (#6158E) and the University of Pennsylvania (#850638). Results will be disseminated through conferences and open-access publications. All study and task materials will be made freely available on lab websites and through the Open Science Framework (OSF).

Authors 18

1. Nicholas J. Wagner

   Boston University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Brain & Psychological Science, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

2. Emily R. Perkins

   University of Pennsylvania

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

3. Yuheiry Rodriguez

   University of Pennsylvania

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

4. Cora Ordway

   Boston University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Brain & Psychological Science, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

5. Michaela Flum

   University of Pennsylvania

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

6. Lucia Hernandez‐Pena Aachen Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics

   University of Pennsylvania · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

   Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

7. Polina Perelstein

   Boston University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Brain & Psychological Science, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

8. Kathy Sem

   Boston University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Brain & Psychological Science, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

9. Yael Paz

   University of Pennsylvania

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

10. Rista C. Plate

    University of Pennsylvania

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

11. Ayomide Popoola

    University of Pennsylvania

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

12. Sarah Beth Lynch

    Boston University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Brain & Psychological Science, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

13. Kristina Astone

    Boston University

    Affiliation as printed

    Biostatistics and Epidemiology Data Analytics Center, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

14. Wanjikũ Njoroge

    Children's Hospital of Philadelphia · University of Pennsylvania

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

15. Adrian Raine

    University of Pennsylvania

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

16. Donna B. Pincus

    Boston University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Brain & Psychological Science, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

17. Koraly E. Pérez‐Edgar

    Pennsylvania State University

    Affiliation as printed

    The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

18. Rebecca E. Waller corresponding

    University of Pennsylvania

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA