Perception of Caregiving During Childhood is Related to Later Executive Functions and Antisocial Behavior in At-Risk Boys

Abstract

Executive functions are considered essential for effective navigation in the social world. Parental responsiveness is a critical ingredient for normative social development and, as such, may be connected with the development of executive functions. Disruption of this development may, in turn, lead to maladaptive and antisocial behaviors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the nature of the connections among perceived patterns of caregiving experienced in childhood, executive functions, and antisocial behaviors in atrisk adolescents. Seventy-one adolescent boys were recruited from two high-schools for adolescents who were not deemed suitable for regular schooling due to behavioral and emotional issues. Executive functions were tested using a computer-administered neuropsychological battery (CANTAB), and maternal parenting experiences and antisocial behaviors were assessed using retrospective and current questionnaires. Structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was employed to examine whether executive functions mediated the relationship between children's perceived patterns of maternal care and subsequent development of antisocial behaviors. Although maternal care had a significant direct effect on executive function (standardized coefficient = .49, p = .03) and antisocial behavior (standardized coefficient = .53, p = .05), SEM demonstrated no mediating relationships among these variables. Instead, maternal care predicted unique variance in both executive functions (standardized coefficient = .61, p = .02) and antisocial behavior (standardized coefficient = .51, p = .05). This study suggests a link between the experience of childhood caregiving and adolescent executive functions and delinquency and highlights the importance of early parenting interventions to aid executive function development. Such early interventions could potentially enhance longterm pro-social behavior.

Validation of the Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting: An application of item response theory.

“…Several theoretical models converge to highlight the central role of the family in general, and parenting in particular, in child and adolescent development (see Cummings et al, 2000; Gershoff & Grogan-Kaylor, 2016; McKee et al, 2007, for reviews). Parenting behaviors in particular, which are generally categorized by positive (e.g., warmth, monitoring, and positive reinforcement) and negative (e.g., permissiveness, hostility, and inconsistency) dimensions, have been linked to internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as health risk behaviors (e.g., Harwood-Gross et al, 2020; Pinquart, 2017; Zhang et al, 2020). Given its importance for the psychosocial adjustment of children and adolescents, parenting is commonly measured in basic (e.g., Bridgett et al, 2018; Cuevas et al, 2014; Saritaş et al, 2013) and applied research (e.g., Ehrenreich et al, 2009; Haack et al, 2017; Shaffer et al, 2019) and is routinely assessed in clinical settings (Millsap & Yun-Tein, 2004; Mendelsohn et al, 2007).…”

Emotional Intelligence and Executive Functions in the Prediction of Prosocial Behavior in High School Students. An InterDisciplinary Approach between Neuroscience and Education

“…Similarly, in a sample composed of at-risk adolescents, research was conducted to assess the nature of the connections between perceived patterns of caregiving experienced in childhood, EFs and antisocial behaviors [24]. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine whether EFs mediated the relationship between children's perceived maternal caregiving patterns and the later development of antisocial behaviors.…”