Associations Between Maternal Negative Affectivity and Young Children's Disruptive Behavior Problems: The Mediating Effect of Callous-Unemotional Traits.

The current study examined associations between maternal negative affectivity (NA) and child disruptive behavior problems. The mediating role of child callous-unemotional (CU) traits in these relationships was also investigated. A multilevel mediation modeling approach was adopted using a sample of 100 families with children between 2.5 and 5.5 years of age (N = 201; mean age = 3.8, standard deviation = 1.0). The mediation models showed significant mediating effects of maternal NA through CU traits for ADHD (ß = 0.12, p<.01), ODD (ß =0.13, p<.01), and aggression (ß =0.16, p<.001), and a significant direct effect for aggression (ß = 0.12, p<.05). A structural equation modeling analysis was also performed, and overall, the results were consistent with that from mediation models, which suggested that child CU traits were significantly correlated with maternal NA (ß = 0.252, p<.001), ADHD (ß = 0.504, p<.001), ODD (ß = 0.545, p<.001), and aggression (ß = 0.686, p<.001). Our results indicated that maternal NA could serve as a potential risk factor for child CU, which, in turn, may contribute to disruptive behavior during early childhood.

Exploring emotional dynamic within-person concordance across laboratory tasks: Moderation of between-person SES and sexual orientation.

Current understandings of emotional concordance are still limited though it has been conceptualized and examined in various ways. We argue that emotional concordance could be better understood within individuals across real time in specific measurement contexts. The current study examined emotional dynamic within-person concordance within physiological subsystems and between physiological and expressive subsystems. We also explored the moderating roles of between-person factors on the within-person concordance and discordance. We found strong concordance within sympathetic indicators (PEP and CO), and between sympathetic and parasympathetic indicators (PEP and RSA), almost across all laboratory tasks. Evidence for concordance was generally weak between physiology and facial expression and have mostly been found between sympathetic indicator (PEP) and facial expressions. Participant socioeconomic status (SES) and sexual orientation seemed to moderate the emotional concordance. We discussed our findings across the various laboratory tasks in the current study.