title: Intergenerational similarity in callous-unemotional traits: Contributions of hostile parenting and household chaos during adolescence.
abstract: Extant research has examined both genetic and environmental risk involved in the transmission of callous-unemotional traits in youth populations, yet no study has examined the intergenerational similarity of these traits between parents and their offspring. The current study examined whether the association between parent callous-unemotional traits and child callous-unemotional traits was mediated by parenting behavior and whether this association was moderated by household environment. Participants included 115 dyads of adolescents (48% female; Mean age=13.97) and their primary caregivers (87% female; Mean age=42.54). Measures of callous-unemotional traits, hostile parenting, and household chaos were collected from both adolescents and parents. A two group structural equation modeling revealed that hostile parenting serves as a mediating process in the association between parent and adolescent callous-unemotional traits, but only in the context of high household chaos. Our findings suggest that hostile parenting practices are a mediating process that may explain intergenerational similarity in callous-unemotional traits. Additionally, household chaos may exacerbate the effects of hostile parenting on callous-unemotional traits within adolescents, resulting in heightened vulnerability to intergenerational transmission of callous-unemotional traits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States. Electronic address: Rachel.kahn@wisconsin.gov.
authors.forename: Rachel E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States.
authors.forename: Kirby
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Deater-Deckard
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States; Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Roanoke, VA, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA, United States; Virginia Tech - Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
authors.forename: Brooks
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: King-Casas
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
authors.forename: Jungmeen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim-Spoon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D004645:Empathy / Q000502:physiology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Adolescence; Callous-unemotional traits; Household chaos; Intergenerational similarity; Parenting