pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Peer Victimization and Callous-Unemotional Traits: The Impact of Parents and Teachers - PubMed

. 2024 Oct;52(10):1551-1564.

doi: 10.1007/s10802-024-01213-w. Epub 2024 May 31.

Affiliations

Peer Victimization and Callous-Unemotional Traits: The Impact of Parents and Teachers

Carlos R Sanchez et al. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol. 2024 Oct.

Abstract

Research on the link between peer victimization and callous-unemotional (CU) traits has primarily relied on cross-sectional designs and yielded equivocal findings. In light of the poor outcomes related to peer victimization and CU traits, it is important to determine whether this link is reciprocal in nature and to identify factors that may influence its strength. Accordingly, the current study investigated the bidirectional association between peer victimization and CU traits over a 6-month period, accounting for the moderating effects of parents (i.e., support and hostility) and teachers (i.e., support and conflict). Participants included 284 third- through fifth-grade students (ages 7-12; 51.8% boys; 51.1% Hispanic) and their homeroom teachers. Children provided ratings of peer victimization, parental hostility, and parent and teacher support. Teachers provided ratings of CU traits and student-teacher conflict. A series of cross-lagged panel models were estimated. Results revealed that, at higher levels of parental hostility, peer victimization predicted increases in CU traits over time; in contrast, peer victimization predicted decreases in CU traits at lower levels of parental hostility. Surprisingly, at higher levels of teacher conflict, peer victimization predicted decreases in CU traits over time. CU traits did not interact with parent or teacher variables to predict subsequent peer victimization. Moreover, parental hostility was positively associated with subsequent peer victimization, whereas teacher support predicted decreases in victimization over time. These findings build on previous research examining environmental influences on the expression of CU traits by highlighting peer victimization and parental hostility as potential risk factors.

Keywords: Callous-unemotional Traits; Middle Childhood; Parent Hostility; Peer Victimization; Social Support; Teacher Conflict.

© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

References

    1. Allen, J. L., Morris, A., & Chhoa, C. Y. (2016). Callous–unemotional (CU) traits in adolescent boys and response to teacher reward and discipline strategies. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 21(3), 329–342. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2016.1165968 . - DOI
    1. Allen, J. L., Bird, E., & Chhoa, C. Y. (2018). Bad boys and mean girls: Callous-unemotional traits, management of disruptive behavior in school, the teacher-student relationship and academic motivation. Frontiers in Education, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2018.00108 .
    1. Baker, J. A., Grant, S., & Morlock, L. (2008). The teacher-student relationship as a developmental context for children with internalizing or externalizing behavior problems. School Psychology Quarterly, 23(1), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.1037/1045-3830.23.1.3 . - DOI
    1. Barker, E. D., & Salekin, R. T. (2012). Irritable oppositional defiance and callous unemotional traits: Is the association partially explained by peer victimization? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 53(11), 1167–1175. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02579.x . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barker, E. D., Boivin, M., Brendgen, M., Fontaine, N., Arseneault, L., Vitaro, F., Bissonnette, C., & Tremblay, R. E. (2008). Predictive validity and early predictors of peer-victimization trajectories in preschool. Archives of General Psychiatry, 65(10), 1185. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.65.10.1185 . - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources