1. Problem behaviours in children: Can executive functions and parenting practices buffer the effects of problematic (psychopathic) traits?
Silvija Ručević, Tijana Borovac, Sandra Vučković i Dino Krupić

2. Problematic (psychopathic) traits
Behavioural dimension
Impulsivity
Need for stimulation
Interpersonal dimension
Grandiosity
Deceitfulness
Lying
Affective dimension
Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits
Adult and adolescents psychopathy: syndrome comprising a constellation of extreme interpersonal, affective and behavior/lifestyle traits that co-occur together (Andershed et al. 2002; Cooke & Michie, 2001)
children and youths high on all three dimensions have more behavior and social problems than youths low on all three dimensions or high on only one dimension (e.g., Andershed et al. 2008; Colins et al. 2012; Colins et al., 2014; Vincent et al. 2003)

3. Executive functions
an umbrella term that encompasses the set of higher-order processes (such as inhibitory control, working memory, and attentional flexibility) that govern goal-directed action and adaptive responses to novel, complex, or ambiguous situations (Hughes et al., 2005)
In childhood
reports by parents and/or teachers
laboratory tasks (Hungry Donkey, BART etc.)

4. What do we know thus far? Psychopathy in children
recently, problematic (psychopathic) traits have been associated with a number of negative outcomes and adjustment problems in young children
teacher and parent-reported aggression,
teacher and parent-reported AD/HD symptoms
teacher and parent-reported conduct problems
etc.
(Colins et al., 2014; Ezpeleta, de la Osa, Granero, Penelo, & Domènech, 2013; Kimonis et al., 2006; Kimonis et al., 2016).

5. What do we know thus far? Executive functions
poor executive functioning during early childhood is linked to increased risk for a number of later problems
socioemotional adjustment and externalizing problems (Carlson, Zelazo, & Faja, 2013)
early childhood deficits in executive functions (e.g., self-control) predict poorer mental health, physical health, and social outcomes 30 years later as adults (Moffitt et al., 2011).

6. What do we know thus far? Executive functions
deficits in executive functions have been observed in children high on callous-unemotional (CU) traits
modulation of inhibitory self-control
metacognition
problem-solving flexibility (leading to difficulties, e.g., when the child is confronted with a change in plans or routine)
executive function shift (i.e., difficulties for making transitions)
(Ezpeleta et al., 2013)

7. Thus… previous studies suggest that:
both psychopathy features and executive functions uniquely predict negative outcomes
HOWEVER, it is less clear how they interact in early childhood

8. Thus…
To date, only one study examined the moderating role of executive functions in children high on psychopathy features (Waller et al., 2017)
only CU traits
CU behaviors measured using items not originally developed to assess the CU construct
used a broad assessment of executive function

9. What do we know thus far? Parenting practices
the relationship between psychopathy traits and parenting practices is bidirectional
CU traits are more predictive of changes in parenting over time than parenting is predictive of changes in CU traits over time (Hawes, Dadds, Frost, & Hasking, 2011; Muñoz, Pakalniskiene, & Frick, 2011)
CU traits ☞ increased levels of inconsistent discipline irrespective of child age and sex, increased levels of corporal punishment among older children, and reduced levels of parental involvement in older boys and younger girls

10. Thus…
children with features of psychopathy tend to respond differently than other children to discipline and punishment
trial and error to determine how best to discipline a child with psychopathic features
parental empathy, coupled with effective and consistent punishment, may provide the broader affective and behavioral context needed for conscience development (McDonald, Dodson, Rosenfield & Jouriles, 2011)
HOWEVER, can certain parenting practices (e.g., authoritative) buffer the effects of psychopathy traits?

11. About this study…
AIM
using a multi-informant approach, examine the moderating role of different domains of executive functions and parenting styles on the association between separate psychopathy dimensions and conduct problem severity
ECLAT-study (Problem behaviors in elementary school-aged children: The role of Executive funCtioning, individuL, familiAl, and geneTic factors)

12. Sample
175 randomly selected children (80 boys; M = 8.21 years; SD = 0.57)
all children were accompanied to the research site by their biological parent (135 mothers)
in order to achieve greater variability in psychopathy traits and problem behaviors, in the first wave of the ECLAT study children were recruited from both mainstream (n = 115) and high-risk (n = 60) kindergartens (deprived, high crime rate neighborhoods)
kindergartens were chosen to gain representative samples from different socioeconomic classes, ethnicities (e.g., Roma), genders, and parental educational qualifications

13. Measures Informants children parents and teachers (confidental)
parent and teacher scores were combined by taking the higher rating between raters (i.e., resolved score)
bypassing potential underreporting
(e.g., Frick, Cornell, Barry, Bodin, & Dane, 2003; Kimonis et al., 2016; Pardini et al., 2007)

14. Measures Intelligence (C) Executive functions (P + T)
block design subtest of the Croatian version of the Wechsler Intelligence Test for Children – 4th edition (WISC-IV-HR)
Executive functions (P + T)
Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI; Thorell & Nyberg, 2008): working memory, planning, inhibition, and regulation
Parenting practices (P)
Primary Caregivers Practices Report (PCPR; Robinson, Mandleco, & Hart, 1995): indexes of authoritative, authoritarian and permissive parenting style

15. Measures Conduct problems (P + T) Psychopathic traits (P + T)
Croatian version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997)
Psychopathic traits (P + T)
Child Problematic Traits Inventory (CPTI; Colins et al., 2014): Grandiose-Deceitful (GD), Callous-Unemotional (CU), and Impulsivity-Need for Stimulation (INS) dimensions
CFA: TLI = 0.94, CFI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.078

16. Results and discussion Executive functions
the relationship between early CU traits and behavior problems in children is dependent on executive functions
specifically, the combination of high CU traits and deficits in executive functioning, namely self-regulation and inhibition postdicted higher teacher and parent-reported conduct problems
these relationships held even after controlling for the amount of variance accounted for by hyperactivity
consistent with the study by Waller and colleagues (2017)

17. Results and discussion Executive functions
executive functioning acted as a moderator in the relationship between the GD dimension and conduct problems
specifically, level of child’s conduct problems was increased by grandiose and deceitful interpersonal style combined with problems in controlling resources and information processing, or a lack of behavioral control
these relationships held even after controlling for the amount of variance accounted for by hyperactivity

18. Results and discussion Executive functions
moderate correlations (rs = , p < .001) between psychopathy features and deficits in different subdomains of executive functions
somewhat comorbid in early childhood?

19. Results and discussion Executive functions
deficits in disinhibition, dysregulation and the lack of ability to hold information in the focus of attention place children high on interpersonal and affective psychopathy features at risk for exhibiting conduct problems
consistent with research in adults with psychopathic traits ☞ higher levels of executive functions act as a buffer against antisocial behavior (e.g., Gao & Raine, 2010; Ishikawa, Raine, Lencz, Bihrle, & LaCasse, 2001)

20. Results and discussion Parenting style
authoritative parenting (high on warmth, moderate on discipline, high in communication and moderate in expectations of maturity) did not buffer the effects of psychopathy traits on conduct problems

21. Results and discussion Parenting style
permissive parenting practices moderated the relationship between problem behaviors and impulsivity-need for stimulation dimension
the combination of impulsive behavioral style and permissive parenting practices postdicted higher teacher and parent-reported conduct problems
permissive parenting ☞ high on warmth, very low on discipline and structure, low in parent to child communication but high in child to parent communication and low on expectation

22. Implications
strategies that are effective in promoting child capacities related to inhibitory control and working memory in the early childhood period may reduce future behavior problems?
randomized control trial evidence supports the effectiveness of parent-focused interventions which also focus on executive functioning, including effortful control (Somech & Elizur, 2012) and emotion recognition (e.g., Dadds, Cauchi, Wimalaweera, Hawes, & Brennan, 2012)

23. Questions?

24. Funding
This research was supported by grants from the Croatian Science Foundation [HRZZ-IP ] and University of Osijek [IZIP ]

25. Thank you for your attention!