Longitudinal Association Between Children's Callous-Unemotional Traits and Social Competence: Child Executive Function and Maternal Warmth as Moderators.

Hyunah Kim,Hyein Chang

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00379

Abstract

This study examined the longitudinal association between children’s early callous-unemotional (CU) traits and social competence in the transition to school-age, and tested whether this relationship was moderated by child executive function and maternal warmth. Participants were 643 children (49% girls) who were part of the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC) of the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education (KICCE). Mothers rated children’s CU at 5 years and executive function at 8 years, and maternal warmth at 5 years. Teachers reported on children’s social competence at 8 years. Results of the model including child executive function as the moderator indicated that deficits in child executive function and child sex (boys) predicted lower social competence. In addition, the moderating effect of executive function on the relationship between CU and social competence approached a trend such that CU predicted lower social competence only for children with lower executive function. In the model that included maternal warmth as a moderator, CU traits was associated with lower social competence, and this effect was more pronounced for boys as indicated by a significant effects of CU × child sex on social competence. The findings are discussed with respect to considering individual and contextual factors by which early CU becomes associated with individual differences in children’s social competence.

Highlights

Children’s social competence refers to their ability to effectively interact in relational contexts by considering their own as well as others’ perspectives, and utilizing adequate social skills (RoseKrasnor, 1997)
The relations between CU traits and social competence were still significant in earlier investigations that have controlled for levels of child externalizing behavior (Piatigorsky and Hinshaw, 2004; Haas et al, 2018). These results indicate that CU traits are likely to have unique influences on social competence above and beyond conduct problems
In this study, we aim to explore individual and contextual factors that might moderate the association between CU traits and social competence

Summary

Introduction

Children’s social competence refers to their ability to effectively interact in relational contexts by considering their own as well as others’ perspectives, and utilizing adequate social skills (RoseKrasnor, 1997). As such, identifying risk factors as well as mechanisms to variations in children’s social competence may inform early prevention efforts to promote their healthy development. Of particular focus in this study was to examine pathways by which children’s early manifestations of callous-unemotional (CU) features may become associated with their social competence at early school-age. Few studies have explored intrachild and contextual factors that might exacerbate or buffer potentially harmful effects of early CU on children’s later social competence. The goals of this study were to investigate the longitudinal association of children’s CU and social competence, and to test whether child executive function and maternal warmth might moderate those processes

Objectives

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Results

Conclusion