Reciprocal Effects Between Negative Parenting and Children’s Callous-Unemotional Traits From Mid to Late Childhood
Objective: The role of negative parenting in the development of callous-unemotional (CU) traits remains unclear. Both negative parenting and CU traits are influenced by genetic and environmental factors. The authors used genetically informed longitudinal cross-lagged models to examine the extent to which reciprocal effects between negative parenting and children’s CU traits in mid-to-late childhood are genetic versus environmental in origin. Methods: In 9,260 twin pairs from the Twins Early Development Study, the authors estimated cross-lagged effects between negative parenting (discipline and feelings) and children’s CU traits in mid (ages 7–9) and late (ages 9–12) childhood. Results: CU traits were strongly heritable and stable. Stability was explained largely by genetic factors. The influence of negative parenting on the development of CU traits was small and driven mostly by genetic and shared environmental factors. In mid childhood, the influence of children’s CU traits on subsequ