Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 25, 2025

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
08:09

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood

Published on: February 11, 2017

11.5K

The Mediating Role of Callous-Unemotional Traits in the Relationship between Parental Aggression and Behavioral

Gengli Zhang1, Yantong Zhu2

  • 1Faculty of Educational Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 28, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Aggressive parenting in Chinese preschoolers is linked to behavioral problems through callous-unemotional (CU) traits. This study highlights the risks of aggressive parenting and the need for interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Cross-Cultural Psychology

Background:

  • Aggressive parenting is linked to behavioral problems in Western children.
  • Research on this association among Chinese preschoolers is limited.
  • Understanding cultural variations in parenting and child behavior is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between aggressive parenting, callous-unemotional (CU) traits, and behavioral problems in Chinese preschoolers.
  • To examine the mediating role of CU traits in this association.
  • To extend existing research to a large Chinese preschool sample.

Main Methods:

  • Data collected from 1879 Chinese preschoolers in Wuhu city.
  • Parents completed online questionnaires on parenting practices and child behaviors.
  • Mediation models analyzed associations, controlling for age, gender, and socioeconomic status.

Main Results:

  • Higher frequencies of parental psychological and physical aggression were associated with elevated CU traits.
  • Elevated CU traits were linked to increased preschoolers' behavioral problems.
  • CU traits mediated the relationship between aggressive parenting and behavioral problems.

Conclusions:

  • Aggressive parenting positively relates to behavioral problems in Chinese preschoolers, mediated by CU traits.
  • The findings underscore the risks associated with aggressive parenting in this population.
  • Interventions targeting parenting strategies and reducing CU traits are recommended to mitigate behavioral problems.

Keywords:
Chinese preschoolersbehavioral problemscallous unemotional traitsparental aggression

More Related Videos

The Other End of the Leash: An Experimental Test to Analyze How Owners Interact with Their Pet Dogs08:59

The Other End of the Leash: An Experimental Test to Analyze How Owners Interact with Their Pet Dogs

Published on: October 13, 2017

17.7K
Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children07:01

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children

Published on: March 1, 2019

8.0K

Related Concept Videos

Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development01:30

Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development

Social-emotional experiences and cultural influences play significant roles in shaping gender development. During middle childhood, from ages 6 to 11, peer groups become dominant in reinforcing gender norms. Children in this age group often align with same-gender peer groups, which actively encourage behaviors that conform to traditional gender roles. For instance, boys may be discouraged from engaging in activities perceived as feminine, reinforcing culturally dictated norms about masculinity...
58
Parenting Styles01:27

Parenting Styles

Diana Baumrind's four parenting styles — authoritarian, authoritative, neglectful, and permissive — each influence children's socio-emotional development differently.
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
96
Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
84
Conduct Disorder01:28

Conduct Disorder

Conduct disorder is a complex mental health diagnosis characterized by a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior that violates societal norms, the rights of others, or age-appropriate rules. The diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder require the presence of at least three problematic behaviors within the past 12 months, with at least one occurring in the past six months. These behaviors are grouped into four categories: aggression toward people and animals; destruction of property;...
92
Bullying02:04

Bullying

A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is...
8.4K
Aggression01:47

Aggression

Humans engage in aggression when they seek to cause harm or pain to another person. Aggression takes two forms depending on one’s motives: hostile or instrumental. Hostile aggression is motivated by feelings of anger with intent to cause pain; a fight in a bar with a stranger is an example of hostile aggression. In contrast, instrumental aggression is motivated by achieving a goal and does not necessarily involve intent to cause pain (Berkowitz, 1993); a contract killer who murders for...
27.9K