The Role of Empathy and Parenting Style in the Development of Antisocial Behaviors

Schaffer, Megan; Clark, Stephanie; Jeglic, Elizabeth L.

doi:10.1177/0011128708321359

Cited by 88 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The current study supports the theoretical model that parenting interventions, which improve parent emotion socialization, can affect children's behavior. It has been found that reducing emotion dismissing and increasing empathy can also directly enhance children's prosocial behavior [27]. The current study is also consistent with previous research demonstrating that behavioral interventions are not the only method of enhancing child behavior; emotion-focused programs are also effective.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Reducing Children Behavior Problems: A Pilot Study of Tuning in to Kids in Iran

Meybodi

Mohammadkhani

Pourshahbaz

et al. 2017

IRJ

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Objectives: Parental responses to children's negative emotions play a key role in developing emotional competence. Poor emotional competence has been linked to disruptive behavior problems in children. The Tuning in to Kids program is a new emotion-focused parenting intervention for preschoolers. The Tuning in to Kids aims to improve children's behavior by changing mothers' emotion socialization practices including teaching emotion coaching skills and reducing dismissing of children's emotion. This study is an introductory evaluation of an 8-session group parenting program, Tuning into Kids, for mothers of preschool children with behavior problems in Iran.Methods: Fiftyfour children (aged 3 to 6), who were screened via preschools and agreed to participate in the research, were randomized into intervention or waitlist control condition. Mothers in the intervention group attended the six-sessions of the Tuning in to Kids program followed by two booster sessions at two-monthly intervals thereafter. Mothers completed the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, the Parent Emotional Style Questionnaire, and the General Health Questionnaire prior to the intervention, immediately following intervention completion, and at three months follow-up. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA in SPSS 22.Results: Mothers in the intervention group reported significantly less emotion dismissing and child behavior problems than controls at 3-month follow-up (P≤0.01); there were no significant differences for emotion coaching and maternal mental health in either condition (P≥0.05). Discussion:The Tuning in to Kids program appears to be a promising parenting intervention for mothers and children with disruptive behavior problems, offering a useful addition to usual programs used in Iran.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Reducing Children Behavior Problems: A Pilot Study of Tuning in to Kids in Iran

Meybodi

Mohammadkhani

Pourshahbaz

et al. 2017

IRJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This outcome supports the theoretical model that enhancing children's emotional competence through intervention with parents, teachers and children can indirectly impact behavior. Changes in parenting may also have a direct impact on children's behavior by reducing emotionally dismissive parenting and increasing empathy which have been found to be directly implicated in promoting children's prosocial behavior (Schaffer et al 2009). Usually interventions targeting children's behavior problems utilize behavioral parenting strategies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Emotion-Focused Early Intervention for Children with Emerging Conduct Problems

Havighurst

Duncombe

Frankling³

et al. 2014

J Abnorm Child Psychol

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This paper evaluates the real-world effectiveness of an emotion-focused, multi-systemic early intervention combining an emotion socialization parenting program with a child and school socio-emotional intervention for children with emerging conduct problems. Schools in lower socioeconomic areas of Victoria, Australia were randomized into intervention or wait-list control. Children in the first 4 years of elementary school were screened for behavior problems and those in the top 8 % of severity were invited to participate in the intervention. The study sample consisted of 204 primary caregivers and their children (Mage=7.05, SD=1.06; 74 % boys). Data were collected at baseline and 10 months later using parent and teacher reports and direct child assessment. Measures of parent emotion socialization, family emotion expressiveness, and children's emotion competence, social competence and behavior were administered. Results showed intervention parents but not controls became less emotionally dismissive and increased in empathy, and children showed better emotion understanding and behavior compared to control children. These outcomes lend support for an emotionfocused approach to early intervention in a real-world context for children with conduct problems.Keywords Emotion coaching . Emotion socialization . Emotion competence . Behavior problems . Parenting . Early intervention . Multi-systemic intervention Disruptive behavior problems in young children are a risk factor for conduct disorder, later substance abuse, poor peer relations, delinquency and violence which add substantial costs to society on a social and economic level (Moffitt 1993;Sawyer et al. 2000). The first years of school are an important time for identifying children at risk and intervening before these problems become intractable (Webster-Stratton and Reid 2004). Successful interventions include multisystemic components for lasting effects such as parent, child and school-based programs (Sanders et al. 2000). Typically, multi-systemic interventions include behavioral parent training based on social learning principles, which have also been found effective as stand-alone interventions for reducing children's behaviour problems (for a meta-analysis see Thomas and Zimmer-Gembeck 2007). Up to one third of families who receive this type of parenting intervention, however, do not benefit (Dumas 2005; Webster-Stratton and Hammond 1997) and behavioral parent training has been found less effective when there are attachment problems, when parents have difficulties regulating emotions, or when there is maternal depression or marital conflict ( DOI 10.1007/s10802-014-9944-z Kendall 2002). Multi-systemic interventions that incorporate a parenting program targeting parent emotion socialization (responses to emotions in oneself and one's child), in combination with a child intervention, which focuses on improving emotional competence (e.g., skills in understanding and regulating emotions), are yet to be evaluated. The current study is a real-world effe...

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“…Academic research has traditionally relied upon two variables when classifying parenting styles; those of parental demandingness (or control) and parental responsiveness (or warmth) (Baumrind, 1966;Maccoby & Martin, 1983;Paulson & Sputa, 1996;Schaffer et al, 2009). Demandingness refers to the boundaries and rules a parent places upon a child in order to integrate them into society (Baumrind, 1966).…”

Section: Parenting Stylesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While there is some research that finds that difficult children are not nurtured in as positive a manner as children who are not perceived as difficult (Bates, 1980), research overwhelmingly finds parental rejection influences social and psychological adolescent development, and not the other way around (Simons & Robertson, 1989;Schaffer et al, 2009). Furthermore Simons et al (1989) found that there is a highly causal flow from parental rejection to delinquent behavior, and that it is very unlikely that adolescent depression is causally related to parental rejection.…”

Section: Intermediate Influences and The Impact Of Parenting Styles Omentioning

The Role of Empathy and Parenting Style in the Development of Antisocial Behaviors

Cited by 88 publications

References 40 publications

Reducing Children Behavior Problems: A Pilot Study of Tuning in to Kids in Iran

Reducing Children Behavior Problems: A Pilot Study of Tuning in to Kids in Iran

An Emotion-Focused Early Intervention for Children with Emerging Conduct Problems

Shifting parenting styles and the effect on juvenile delinquency.

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