Institute for the Reduction of Youth Violence, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2019 Apr;47(4):619-631. doi: 10.1007/s10802-018-0468-9.
Although prior research suggests that children show rapid change in socioemotional functioning and aggression throughout early childhood, little is known about how these factors may be associated with the development of callous-unemotional (CU) features. This study investigated the parallel development of, and reciprocal relationships between, emotion understanding (EU) and aggression across early childhood, as well as how they play a role in the development of CU features. Parallel latent growth curve modeling was used to examine longitudinal reciprocal relationships between EU and aggression in a sample of 498 primarily Black (i.e., African-American or Afro-Caribbean) preschoolers (49.5% male, 89.2% Black, M = 4.1), followed with six waves over a 45-month period from pre-kindergarten through grade 2. CU features were included as a baseline covariate, as well as an outcome, of EU and aggression growth factors. Children with lower levels of EU at age 4 displayed higher linear increases in aggression over time. EU at age 4 had a significant indirect effect on CU features at age 8 via its association with linear increases in aggression. Findings suggest that EU is influential in the early development of aggression, which may in turn influence the development or exacerbation of CU features. Children's EU in early childhood, especially concerning others' distress, may be an important component of preventive intervention efforts for young children at risk for serious antisocial behavior.
虽然先前的研究表明，儿童在整个幼儿期的社会情感功能和攻击性方面都表现出快速变化，但对于这些因素如何与冷酷无情（CU）特征的发展相关联知之甚少。本研究调查了情感理解（EU）和攻击性在整个幼儿期的平行发展和相互关系，以及它们在 CU 特征发展中的作用。在一个主要由黑人（即非裔美国人或 Afro-Caribbean）学龄前儿童组成的样本中（49.5%为男性，89.2%为黑人，M=4.1），使用平行潜在增长曲线模型来检验 EU 和攻击性之间的纵向互惠关系，在 45 个月的时间里，从学前到 2 年级进行了六次随访。CU 特征被用作 EU 和攻击性增长因素的基线协变量和结果。4 岁时 EU 水平较低的儿童随着时间的推移表现出更高的线性攻击性增长。4 岁时的 EU 通过与攻击性的线性增加相关，对 8 岁时的 CU 特征产生了显著的间接影响。研究结果表明，EU 对攻击性的早期发展具有影响力，而攻击性的发展可能会反过来影响 CU 特征的发展或恶化。儿童在幼儿期的 EU，尤其是对他人痛苦的理解，可能是针对有严重反社会行为风险的幼儿进行预防干预的重要组成部分。
