Parenting and Youth Conduct Problems and Delinquency: Reciprocal Effects and Moderation by Callous-Unemotional Traits

Luna C. Muñoz

University of Central Lancashire, UK

Research Methods Festival, Oxford, 2010

Importance of parenting

Efforts to change parents’ behaviours depend on this link

Poor parenting Conduct problems

Poor parenting

EarlierConduct problems

Conduct problems

Some children may not respond

One size may not fit all

The some....

Hawes & Dadds (2007) conducted parent-training for young children’s conduct problems

They found that children whose conduct problems were accompanied by stably-high callous and unemotional traits improved but only temporarily

Callous-Unemotional Traits

Is unconcerned about the feelings of others Doesn’t feel empathy Does not feel any emotions deeply Lacks fear or anxiety Lacks remorse or regret Sees emotions as a hindrance Emotions do not control his/her actions

Subtyping Antisocial Behavior in Children: Using Callous-Unemotional Traits Conduct Disorder

Childhood-onset

Callous-Unemotional Traits

ImpulsiveHigh Emotional Arousal/ Emotion Dysregulation

Callous-Unemotional Traits

Conduct Problems

CU

Conduct Problems

More Severe Antisocial Behavior

Conduct Problems with/without Callous-Unemotional Traits

Without Callous-Unemotional TraitsWith Callous-Unemotional Traits

Origin of Conduct Problems

Parenting Strong emotional reactions Thoughts – that people's actions are hostile Inattention/ Impulsivity/ Hyperactivity Cognitive ability – Intellectual deficits

Personality

These traits drive behavior

The research carried out tends to be conducted with the assumption that CU traits drive behavior with little input from the environment

Callous-Unemotional Traits are Largely Inherited Twin studies of children who display

antisocial behaviors (Viding et al., 2005) Strong genetic influence was found for children

with antisocial behaviors AND callous-unemotional traits

Only modest genetic influence for children with antisocial behaviors but without callous-unemotional traits

---Low CU Traits High CU Traits

Ineffective Parenting

Con

duct

Pro

blem

s

EarlierPoor parenting

---Low CU Traits High CU Traits

LaterPoor parenting

EarlierConduct problems

LaterConduct problems

Origin of Conduct Problems

Parenting Strong emotional reactions Thoughts – that people's actions are hostile Inattention/ Impulsivity/ Hyperactivity Cognitive ability – Intellectual deficits

Personality

EarlierPoor parenting

---Low CU Traits High CU Traits

LaterConduct problems

Poor parenting

---Low CU Traits High CU Traits

Conduct problems

Earlier Later

Some evidence for reciprocal direction Hawes & Dadds (2004) found that parents of

children with CU reported that time-out was less effective, when

compared to those parents of children with high levels of conduct problems but with low levels of callous-unemotional traits

My argument...

A child’s lack of concern over punishment may be one reason why parents loosen control over their children

Parents may give up trying when children are delinquent, but especially with children with callous-unemotional traits

Examine bi-directionally!

Why longitudinal investigations? Wohlwill (1973) and Kessen (1960)

We need to go beyond age-related descriptions We need to be able to clarify individual processes

of development and change Cairns & Cairns (1994)

Identify individual difference predictability Stability over time Rates and types of individual change Identify periods of greatest risk and possibility

for greatest change

Parenting and Problem Behaviour: Callous-Unemotional Traits 100 school children from a moderate-sized

city from southeastern USA A stratified random sampling design was

used to match the selected sample to the school sample on gender, ethnicity, and SES

76 children (mean age 13.4 years at Time 1) provided data over three years

Muñoz, Pakalniskiene, & Frick. Manuscript under review

Bidirectional effects one year laterLow callous-unemotional More knowledge led to

less control Control led to more

knowlege Little effect No effect

High callous-unemotional Less knowledge led to

less control No effect Less knowledge led to

more conduct problems More conduct problems

led to less control

Muñoz, Pakalniskiene, & Frick. Manuscript under review

Parenting Measures

Alabama Parenting Questionnaire: Monitoring and Supervision scale

Problem with monitoring measures Many of the assessments being used assess

what parents know about their children (i.e., knowledge) rather than actions to gain knowledge (i.e., monitoring)(Kerr & Stattin, 2000; Stattin & Kerr, 2000).

Problem with monitoring measures Wootton and colleagues’ (1997) study asked

about whether the child hung out with peers that were unknown to the parent.

Don’t know why Unsupervised because parents have been lax They disobey/ sneak out

The latter is part of the child’s behavior

Parenting Measures

Parents’ Knowledge Alabama Parenting Questionnaire: Monitoring and

Supervision scale Parental Monitoring

Solicitation of information from child Parental Control

Parents’ demands that lead to knowledge

Conduct Problem Measures

Youth-report: Self-Report of Delinquency Scale (Elliott &

Ageton, 1980) assesses the child’s self-report of 36 illegal juvenile acts.

Parent-report: Behavioral Assessment System for Children-

Parent Rating Scale (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 1992)

Conduct Problems scale focuses on more covert conduct problems (e.g., cheats in school, gets into trouble)

STABILITY OF PARENTING

Prediction of parenting from parenting

.27*** KnowledgeControl

Prediction of parenting from parenting

KnowledgeControl Hi= -.05

Lo=.39***

Prediction of parenting from parenting

ControlKnowledge Hi= .20

Lo= -.20*

Prediction of parenting from parenting

ControlSolicitation Hi= .07

Lo=.30***

Stability differed by CU

Hi=.41** ControlControlLo=.75***

DO PARENTS AFFECT BEHAVIOUR? DIFFERING BY CU GROUPS

Parenting predicts behaviour

Knowledge

Delinquency / Conduct Problem

Solicitation

.13/ -.15*

Control

Analyses are conducted while controlling for earlier CP

-.19*/ -.04

-.01/ -.03

What parents know predicts changes in behaviour, especially for high CU

Knowledge

DelinquencySolicitation

Lo= -.13

Control

Analyses are conducted while controlling for earlier CP

Hi= -.28*

DOES BEHAVIOUR AFFECT PARENTING? DIFFERING BY CU GROUPS

Problem behaviour leads to changes in what parents do

Knowledge

Delinquency / Conduct Problems

Solicitation

-.13/ .01

Control

Analyses are conducted while controlling for earlier parenting

-.01/ -.06

-.26**/ .05

And is especially true for those with high levels of CU and who are delinquent

Knowledge

DelinquencySolicitation

Control

Analyses are conducted while controlling for earlier parenting

Lo= -.10

Hi= -.38**

Implications for parental involvement Parents reduce their control over time when their

child shows delinquent behaviours, particularly when the child also has callous-unemotional traits.

A reduction in control leads to a less effective management of child behaviour.

Interventions need to encourage an intimate relationship between parent and child so that youths with callous-unemotional traits actively disclose information to their parents.

Poor parenting

---Low CU Traits High CU Traits

Conduct problems

Earlier Later

Conclusions

We were able to show that the relation between parenting and conduct problems can be a child-effect, which supports prior studies

Another explanation is that shared genetic effects explain child personality traits, conduct problems, and parents’ parenting (see Jaffee et al., 2004)

Acknowledgments

My post-doctoral advisers: Margaret Kerr Håkan Stattin

Their superstar graduate student: Vilmante Pakalniskiene, now Dr. Vilma

My PhD supervisor: Research Professor Paul Frick

Very grateful to Neville Butler Memorial Prize

Future directions