Vitamin D sufficiency attenuates the effect of early social adversity on child antisocial behavior

Background Vitamin D insufficiency and child antisocial behavior are public health concerns. It is unknown whether vitamin D plays a role in antisocial outcomes. This study examines whether higher levels of vitamin D can act as a protective factor against antisocial behavior for children who are exposed to early social adversity. Methods In a community sample of 300 children aged 11–12 years (151 females, 149 males), serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] were assessed alongside early social adversity, and both parent and child-reported antisocial behavior. Results Vitamin D moderated the association between early social adversity and multiple antisocial outcomes. Higher social adversity was associated with greater antisocial behavior among vitamin D-insufficient [25(OH)D < 30 ng/mL], but not vitamin D-sufficient children [25(OH)D ⩾ 30 ng/mL], after adjusting for other variables. Results from child reports of antisocial behavior were replicated with parent reports, providing support for the robustness of the findings. At serum 25(OH)D concentrations above 27.16–30.69 ng/mL (close to 30 ng/mL, the recommended optimal vitamin D level for pediatric populations), the effect of social adversity on antisocial behavior outcomes was nullified. Conclusions To our knowledge, this study is the first to document that a nutritional factor, vitamin D, can potentially confer resilience to antisocial behavior. Our findings in a pediatric population suggest a possible role of vitamin D supplementation in interventions to reduce antisocial behavior, which may be further investigated in future randomized controlled trials.

An Introduction to Using Multivariate Multilevel Survival Analysis to Study Coercive Family Process

Multivariate multilevel survival analysis is introduced for studying hazard rates of observed emotional behavior relevant for coercion theory. Finite time sampling reliability (FTSR) and short-term retest reliability (STRR) across two occasions (sessions) of observation during structured problem-solving tasks several weeks apart were determined for hazard rates of emotional behaviors for parent–child dyads. While FTSR was high (.80–.96), STRR was low (.16–.65), suggesting that emotional behaviors in the context of parent–child social interaction are not very stable over a period of several weeks. Using latent variable structural equation models that corrected for the low STRR, two hazard rates were predictive of change in child antisocial behavior over a 3-year period (kindergarten to third grade) net of initial child antisocial behavior. Low levels of parent positive emotion and increases from session 1 to 2 of child neutral behavior both accounted for unique variance in third grade antisocial behavior.

Short- and Long-term Impacts of a Coercion Theory–Based Intervention on Aggression on the School Playground

Aggression between students at school is a common problem, particularly within the context of the school playground. Key mechanisms in coercion theory, including positive and negative reinforcement for aggression and peer deviancy training, can operate with abandon on school playgrounds without adult supervision, monitoring, and appropriate intervention. The Linking the Interests of Families and Teachers (LIFT) multimodal preventive intervention, designed to address aggression on the playground, is described. The short-term and intermediate follow-up findings from a randomized controlled trial of LIFT on aggression on the playground as well as other forms of child antisocial behavior are overviewed. Long-term follow-up findings on the relations between playground aggression and antisocial behaviors during mid-adolescence and emerging adulthood are then reported. It is argued that to be effective, coercion theory–based prevention programs like LIFT need to continue across elementary school and into secondary school, rather than be delivered at only one point in time.

Parental Depression and the Development of Coercion in Early Childhood

One of the driving theories of the development of child antisocial behavior is Patterson’s model of parent-child coercion. Although Patterson hypothesized that coercive processes are established beginning in early childhood, few studies have sought to understand its developmental precursors in early childhood. Even fewer studies have attempted to examine factors that might compromise parenting quality and lead to coercive parent-child interactions during early childhood. One factor repeatedly shown to compromise parenting quality is parental depression. As such, this chapter focuses on how depression among mothers and alternative caregivers, including fathers, is associated with the early onset of coercive family dynamics. The results of the current study have implications for understanding the genesis of coercive processes and for the design of early prevention programs, affirming the importance of including maternal depression in our prevention models.

Interparental conflict, parent psychopathology, hostile parenting, and child antisocial behavior: Examining the role of maternal versus paternal influences using a novel genetically sensitive research design

Past research has linked interparental conflict, parent psychopathology, hostile parenting, and externalizing behavior problems in childhood. However, few studies have examined these relationships while simultaneously allowing the contribution of common genetic factors underlying associations between family- and parent-level variables on child psychopathology to be controlled. Using the attributes of a genetically sensitive in vitro fertilization research design, the present study examined associations among interparental conflict, parents' antisocial behavior problems, parents' anxiety symptoms, and hostile parenting on children's antisocial behavior problems among genetically related and genetically unrelated mother–child and father–child groupings. Path analyses revealed that for genetically related mothers, interparental conflict and maternal antisocial behavior indirectly influenced child antisocial behavior through mother-to-child hostility. For genetically unrelated mothers, effects were apparent only for maternal antisocial behavior on child antisocial behavior through mother-to-child hostility. For both genetically related and genetically unrelated fathers and children, interparental conflict and paternal antisocial behavior influenced child antisocial behavior through father-to-child hostility. Effects of parental anxiety symptoms on child antisocial behavior were apparent only for genetically related mothers and children. Results are discussed with respect to the relative role of passive genotype–environment correlation as a possible confounding factor underlying family process influences on childhood psychopathology.