Parenting and children's representations of family predict disruptive and callous-unemotional behaviors

Abstract

Data from a large prospective longitudinal study (n = 1,239) was used to investigate the association between observed sensitive parenting in early childhood and children's representations of family relationships as measured by the Family Drawing Paradigm (FDP) in first grade as well as the extent to which these representations partially mediate the influences of early caregiving experiences on later conduct problems and callous-unemotional behaviors. A structural equation modeling approach revealed that less sensitive parenting at 24, 36, and 58 months predicts higher levels of conduct problems (CP) and callous-unemotional (CU) behaviors in first grade controlling for earlier measures of CP and CU behaviors. Results also indicated that greater dysfunctional family representations, as assessed with the FDP, are significantly associated with higher CU behaviors in the first grade, but not CP. Finally, a test of the indirect pathway suggests that children's dysfunctional family representations may, in part, account for the association between sensitive parenting and CU behaviors.

Figure 1

SEM model and standardized parameters of relations between sensitive parenting in early childhood, representations of family dysfunction, conduct problems, and callous-unemotional behaviors. Although not depicted here, the effects of sensitive parenting and dysfunctional family representations on CP and CU behaviors in first grade are significant above and beyond earlier CP and CU behaviors. Exogenous covariates (child's sex, IQ, age in months at the 1^st grade visit) are not included in the diagram but were allowed to covary. Child race, state of residency, and family income were accounted for using individual probability weights and stratification variables. The model provides acceptable fit to the data: X²(77) = 228.18, p = 0.00; CFI = 0.96; RMSEA = 0.04; SRMR = 0.03.