| Lack of empathy and secure bonds precede antisocial behavior in children. Parental insensitivity and harsh or absent discipline have been associated with children's lack of security of attachment and lack of empathic concern. In an experimental cross-sequential study with 3 age groups (1-, 2-, and 3-year old children) four research questions will. Our main hypothesis is that in early childhood preventive interventions may enhance parental sensitivity and adequate parental disciplining in families with children displaying negative emotionality and behavior problems. Parents' be addressed. First, we test the effectiveness of parenting interventions on parental sensitivity and disciplining. increased childrearing abilities may in turn facilitate parental control of the child's problem behavior, resulting in the Second, we test whether the enhancement of parents' sensitivity and disciplining ability with children showing reduction of behavior problems and the promotion of the child's empathic concern.Lack of empathy and secure bonds behavior problems, leads to less problematic behavior and more empathic concern in these children. Third, we precede antisocial behavior in school-aged children. investigate whether earlier preventive interventions are more effective than interventions at preschool-age. Lastly, the Parental insensitivity and harsh or absent discipline have been associated with children's lack of accelerated longitudinal design allows for a growth curve description of early problem behavior from age 12 to 60 security of attachment and lack of empathic concern. In a narrative review (Van IJzendoorn, 1997) and a months.quantitative meta-analysis (Van IJzendoorn e.a., 1999) we showed that insecure attachment, in particular insecure-disorganized attachment, is at the root of externalizing behavior problems. In an experimental cross-sequential study with 3 age groups (1-, 2-, and 3-year old children) four research questions will be addressed. First, we test the effectiveness of parenting interventions on parental sensitivity and disciplining. Second, we test whether the enhancement of parents' sensitivity and disciplining abilities with children showing behavior problems, leads to less problematic behavior and more empathic concern in these children. Third, we investigate whether earlier preventive interventions are more effective than interventions at preschool-age (Loeber & Farrington, 1998). Lastly, the accelerated longitudinal design (Farrington, 1991) allows for a growth curve description of early problem behavior from age 12 to 60 months. Children exhibiting negative emotionality and behavior problems may force their parents into coercive parenting patterns (Patterson, 1976; Patterson e.a., 1992), leading to an escalation of conflict. This type of parenting is the opposite of 'sensitive induction', that is, the ability to create a warm atmosphere and be responsive to the child's needs (Ainsworth e.a., 1978), and at the same time to forbid behavior that is damaging to others and explain the reasons for the prohibition (Hoffman, 1984). Several researchers documented the effectiveness of induction for school-aged children (Janssens e.a., 1990), but the combination of sensitive parenting and inductive disciplining in early childhood has not been studied yet. In a meta-analysis (Van IJzendoorn, Juffer, & Duyvesteyn, 1995) we showed that short-term, focused interventions are more successful than long-term, broad-band interventions in enhancing sensitivity and attachment security. An example of a study with a short-term intervention in adoptive families is described by Juffer e.a. (1997). During 3 sessions with video feedback in the home the mother's observational skills and sensitive responses were reinforced, and the relevance of these behaviors for the child were explained. The intervention proved to be successful in enhancing parental sensitivity and attachment security in the child. The same intervention was implemented in a study of parents with insecure attachment biographies. After 4 sessions the experimental mothers were significantly more sensitive than the control mothers (Bakermans-Kranenburg, Juffer, & Van IJzendoorn, 1998). Our experience with these interventions will be used in the proposed study. Lack of empathy and secure bonds precede antisocial behavior in children. Parental insensitivity and harsh or absent discipline have been associated with children's lack of security of attachment and lack of empathic concern. In an experimental cross-sequential study with 3 age groups (1-, 2-, and 3-year old children) four research questions will be addressed. First, we test the effectiveness of parenting interventions on parental sensitivity and disciplining. Second, we test whether the enhancement of parents' sensitivity and disciplining ability with children showing behavior problems, leads to less problematic behavior and more empathic concern in these children. Third, we investigate whether earlier preventive interventions are more effective than interventions at preschool-age. Lastly, the accelerated longitudinal design allows for a growth curve description of early problem behavior from age 12 to 60 months. |
