Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Exploring the Moderating Role of Child Callous-Unemotional Traits on the Link Between Parental Attributions and Parenting Behaviors

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Child & Youth Care Forum Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Biased parental attributions, or biased thinking about the cause of children’s behavior, are linked to harsh and negative parenting in parents of children with disruptive behavior disorders. However, little is known about moderators of this link.

Objective

The current study explored whether child callous-unemotional (CU) traits may be a moderator of the association between parental attributions and parenting behaviors.

Method

Data were collected from 121 parents of children (M = 10.27; SD = 1.06) clinic-referred for disruptive behavior difficulties. Parents reported on parental attributions (parent-causal, child-responsible), parenting behaviors (positive parenting, inconsistent discipline, poor supervision), and children’s CU traits.

Results

Results of the path analysis demonstrated that parent-causal attributions were associated with less positive and more negative parenting behavior while child-responsible attributions were associated with more positive parenting behaviors. High levels of child-responsible attributions combined with elevated child CU traits were associated with poorer supervision.

Conclusions

Building on existing research on parental attributions, the results provide limited preliminary evidence that the association between child-directed attributions and negative parenting may be moderated by children’s stable trait characteristics.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Availability of Data and Material

Data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Code Availability

Not applicable.

References

  • Abidin, R. R. (1992). The determinants of parenting behavior. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 21(4), 407–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Publishing Inc.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Andrade, B. F., Sorge, G. B., Na, J. J., & Wharton-Shukster, E. (2015). Clinical profiles of children with disruptive behaviors based on the severity of their conduct problems, callous–unemotional traits and emotional difficulties. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 46(4), 567–576.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baden, A. D., & Howe, G. W. (1992). Mothers’ attributions and expectancies regarding their conduct-disordered children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 20(5), 467–485.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bansal, P. S., Waschbusch, D. A., Haas, S. M., Babinski, D. E., King, S., Andrade, B. F., & Willoughby, M. T. (2019). Effects of intensive behavioral treatment for children with varying levels of conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits. Behavior Therapy, 50(1), 1–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beckerman, M., van Berkel, S. R., Mesman, J., & Alink, L. R. A. (2017). The role of negative parental attributions in the associations between daily stressors, maltreatment history, and harsh and abusive discipline. Child Abuse & Neglect, 64, 109–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blair, R. J. R., Leibenluft, E., & Pine, D. S. (2014). Conduct disorder and callous–unemotional traits in youth. New England Journal of Medicine, 371(23), 2207–2216.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bolton, C., Calam, R., Barrowclough, C., Peters, S., Roberts, J., Wearden, A., & Morris, J. (2003). Expressed emotion, attributions and depression in mothers of children with problem behaviour. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 44(2), 242–254.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Byrd, A. L., Loeber, R., & Pardini, D. A. (2012). Understanding desisting and persisting forms of delinquency: The unique contributions of disruptive behavior disorders and interpersonal callousness. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 53(4), 371–380.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carlo, G., Mestre, M. V., Samper, P., Tur, A., & Armenta, B. E. (2011). The longitudinal relations among dimensions of parenting styles, sympathy, prosocial moral reasoning, and prosocial behaviors. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 35(2), 116–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Childs, A. W., Fite, P. J., Moore, T. M., Lochman, J. E., & Pardini, D. A. (2014). Bidirectional associations between parenting behavior and child callous-unemotional traits: Does parental depression moderate this link? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 42(7), 1141–1151.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ciucci, E., Baroncelli, A., Franchi, M., Golmaryami, F. N., & Frick, P. J. (2014). The association between callous-unemotional traits and behavioral and academic adjustment in children: Further validation of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 36(2), 189–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colalillo, S., Miller, N. V., & Johnston, C. (2015). Mother and father attributions for child misbehavior: Relations to child internalizing and externalizing problems. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 34(9), 788–808.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornell, A. H., & Frick, P. J. (2007). The moderating effects of parenting styles in the association between behavioral inhibition and parent-reported guilt and empathy in preschool children. Journal of Clinical Child Andb Adolescent Psychology, 36(3), 305–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crum, K. I., Waschbusch, D. A., Bagner, D. M., & Coxe, S. (2015). Effects of callous–unemotional traits on the association between parenting and child conduct problems. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 46(6), 967–980.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crum, K. I., Waschbusch, D. A., & Willoughby, M. T. (2016). Callous-unemotional traits, behavior disorders, and the student–teacher relationship in elementary school students. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 24(1), 16–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deng, J., Wang, M.-C., Zhang, X., Shou, Y., Gao, Y., & Luo, J. (2019). The Inventory of Callous Unemotional Traits: A reliability generalization meta-analysis. Psychological Assessment, 31(6), 765.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dix, T., & Lochman, J. E. (1990). Social cognition and negative reactions to children: A comparison of mothers of aggressive and nonaggressive boys. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 9(4), 418–438.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dix, T., Ruble, D. N., Grusec, J. E., & Nixon, S. (1986). Social cognition in parents: Inferential and affective reactions to children of three age levels. Child Development, 57, 879–894.

  • Edwards, G., Barkley, R. A., Laneri, M., Fletcher, K., & Metevia, L. (2001). Parent–adolescent conflict in teenagers with ADHD and ODD. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 29(6), 557–572.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Elgar, F. J., Waschbusch, D. A., Dadds, M. R., & Sigvaldason, N. (2007). Development and validation of a short form of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 16(2), 243–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., & Dickens, C. (2006). Current perspectives on conduct disorder. Current Psychiatry Reports, 8(1), 59–72.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., Ray, J. V., Thornton, L. C., & Kahn, R. E. (2014). Can callous-unemotional traits enhance the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of serious conduct problems in children and adolescents? A Comprehensive Review. Psychological Bulletin, 140(1), 1–57.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gershy, N., Meehan, K. B., Omer, H., Papouchis, N., & Sapir I. S. (2017). Randomized clinical trial of mindfulness skills augmentation in parent training. Child & Youth Care Forum, 46(6), 783–803.

  • Greenland, S., Senn, S. J., Rothman, K. J., Carlin, J. B., Poole, C., Goodman, S. N., & Altman, D. G. (2016). Statistical tests, P values, confidence intervals, and power: A guide to misinterpretations. European Journal of Epidemiology, 31(4), 337–350.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hautmann, C., Dose, C., Duda-Kirchhof, K., Greimel, L., Hellmich, M., Imort, S., Katzmann, J., Pinior, J., Scholz, K., & Schürmann, S. (2018). Behavioral versus nonbehavioral guided self-help for parents of children with externalizing disorders in a randomized controlled trial. Behavior Therapy, 49(6), 951–965.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hawes, D. J., Dadds, M. R., Frost, A. D. J., & Hasking, P. A. (2011). Do childhood callous-unemotional traits drive change in parenting practices? Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 40(4), 507–518.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawes, D. J., Price, M. J., & Dadds, M. R. (2014). Callous-unemotional traits and the treatment of conduct problems in childhood and adolescence: A comprehensive review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 17(3), 248–267.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A. F., & Rockwood, N. J. (2017). Regression-based statistical mediation and moderation analysis in clinical research: Observations, recommendations, and implementation. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 98, 39–57.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hooper, D., Coughlan, J., & Mullen, M. (2008). Evaluating model fit: a synthesis of the structural equation modelling literature. In: 7th European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies, 195–200.

  • Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, M., Woolfson, L. M., & Hunter, S. C. (2017). Parental attributions of control for child behaviour and their relation to discipline Practices in parents of children with and without developmental delays. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(6), 1713–1722.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, C., Belschner, L., Park, J. L., Stewart, K., Noyes, A., & Schaller, M. (2017). Mothers’ implicit and explicit attitudes and attributions in relation to self-reported parenting behavior. Parenting, 17(1), 51–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, C., & Ohan, J. L. (2005). The importance of parental attributions in families of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity and disruptive behavior disorders. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 8(3), 167–182.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Joiner, T. E., & Wagner, K. D. (1996). Parental, child-centered attributions and outcome: A meta-analytic review with conceptual and methodological implications. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 24(1), 37–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kil, H., Aitken, M., Henry, S., Hoxha, O., Rodak, T., Bennett, K., & Andrade, B. F. (2021a). Transdiagnostic associations among parental causal locus attributions, child behavior and psychosocial treatment outcomes: A systematic review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 24, 267–293.

  • Kil, H., Singh, A. D., Bains, A., Rodak, T., & Andrade, B. F. (2021b). Parental attributions for child behavior across cultures: A scoping review and call for research on ethnocultural minority, immigrant, and country of origin parents. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-021-00361-5.

  • Larsson, H., Viding, E., & Plomin, R. (2008). Callous—unemotional traits and antisocial behavior: Genetic, environmental, and early parenting characteristics. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 35(2), 197–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Longman, T., Hawes, D. J., & Kohlhoff, J. (2016). Callous–unemotional traits as markers for conduct problem severity in early childhood: A meta-analysis. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 47(2), 326–334.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lysenko, M., Kil, H., Propp, L., & Andrade, B. F. (2021). Psychometric properties of the parent cognition scale in a clinical sample of parents of children with disruptive behavior. Behavior Therapy, 52(1), 99–109.

  • MacBrayer, E. K., Milich, R., & Hundley, M. (2003). Attributional biases in aggressive children and their mothers. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112(4), 698.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, S. A. (1995). Parents’ attributions for their children’s behavior. Child Development, 66(6), 1557–1584.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muñoz, L. C., & Frick, P. J. (2007). The reliability, stability, and predictive utility of the self- report version of the Antisocial Process Screening Device: Development and Aging. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 48(4), 299–312.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Munoz, L. C., Pakalniskiene, V., & Frick, P. J. (2011). Parental monitoring and youth behavior problems: Moderation by callous-unemotional traits over time. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 20(5), 261–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Obradović, J., Pardini, D. A., Long, J. D., & Loeber, R. (2007). Measuring interpersonal callousness in boys from childhood to adolescence: An examination of longitudinal invariance and temporal stability. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 36(3), 276–292.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor, T. G., Humayun, S., Briskman, J. A., & Scott, S. (2016). Sensitivity to parenting in adolescents with callous/unemotional traits: Observational and experimental findings. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 125(4), 502–513.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Palm, S. M. E., Sawrikar, V., Schollar-Root, O., Moss, A., Hawes, D. J., & Dadds, M. R. (2019). Parents’ Spontaneous Attributions about their Problem Child: Associations with Parental Mental Health and Child Conduct Problems. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 47(9), 1455–1466.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pardini, D. A., Fite, P. J., & Burke, J. D. (2008). Bidirectional associations between parenting practices and conduct problems in boys from childhood to adolescence: The moderating effect of age and African-American ethnicity. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36(5), 647–662.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pringsheim, T., Hirsch, L., Gardner, D., & Gorman, D. A. (2015). The pharmacological management of oppositional behaviour, conduct problems, and aggression in children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Part 1: psychostimulants, alpha-2 agonists, and atomoxetin. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 60(2), 42–51.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer, D., Fisher, P., Lucas, C. P., Dulcan, M. K., & Schwab-Stone, M. E. (2000). NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV (NIMH DISC-IV): Description, differences from previous versions, and reliability of some common diagnoses. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 39(1), 28–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slep, A. M. S., & O’Leary, S. G. (1998). The effects of maternal attributions on parenting: An experimental analysis. Journal of Family Psychology, 12(2), 234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, A. M., & O’Leary, S. G. (1995). Attributions and arousal as predictors of maternal discipline. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 19(4), 459–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snarr, J. D., Slep, A. M. S., & Grande, V. P. (2009). Validation of a new self-report measure of parental attributions. Psychological Assessment, 21(3), 390–401.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Waschbusch, D. A., Graziano, P. A., Willoughby, M. T., & Pelham, W. E., Jr. (2015). Classroom rule violations in elementary school students with callous-unemotional traits. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 23(3), 180–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waschbusch, D. A., Porter, S., Carrey, N., Kazmi, S. O., Roach, K. A., & D’Amico, D. A. (2004). Investigation of the heterogeneity of disruptive behaviour in elementary-age children. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement, 36(2), 97–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, D., & Johnston, C. (2015). Maternal and paternal attributions in the prediction of boys’ behavior problems across time. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 44(4), 668–675.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, C., Gardner, F., Burton, J., & Leung, S. (2006). Maternal attributions and young children’s conduct problems: A longitudinal study. Infant and Child Development: An International Journal of Research and Practice, 15(2), 109–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wootton, J. M., Frick, P. J., Shelton, K. K., & Silverthorn, P. (1997). Ineffective parenting and childhood conduct problems: The moderating role of callous-unemotional traits. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65(2), 301–308.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, Q., Eisenberg, N., Losoya, S. H., Fabes, R. A., Reiser, M., Guthrie, I. K., Murphy, B. C., Cumberland, A. J., & Shepard, S. A. (2002). The relations of parental warmth and positive expressiveness to children’s empathy-related responding and social functioning: A longitudinal study. Child Development, 73(3), 893–915.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zlomke, K. R., Lamport, D., Bauman, S., Garland, B., & Talbot, B. (2014). Parenting adolescents: Examining the factor structure of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire for adolescents. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 23(8), 1484–1490.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The research presented in this manuscript was the basis of the first author’s honor’s thesis project.

Funding

This work was supported by funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and by the Ontario Mental Health Foundation to the last author.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Canada

    Damla Arslan

  2. McCain Centre for Child, Youth, and Family Mental Health, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 80 Workman Way, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H4, Canada

    Hali Kil & Brendan F. Andrade

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Hali Kil & Brendan F. Andrade

Authors
  1. Damla Arslan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hali Kil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Brendan F. Andrade
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brendan F. Andrade.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethics Approval

All procdeures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Consent to Participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Arslan, D., Kil, H. & Andrade, B.F. Exploring the Moderating Role of Child Callous-Unemotional Traits on the Link Between Parental Attributions and Parenting Behaviors. Child Youth Care Forum 51, 885–900 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-021-09654-w

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-021-09654-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation