"Concern for Others" Studied in Young Children with Behavior Problems: Good Parenting May Have an Effect

What is the study about?

Deficits in empathy and remorse have long been recognized as common characteristics in children with disruptive behavior disorders. But few studies have looked at how the "concern for others" develops among young children and how that affects those with and without behavior problems.

A study, conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and the University of Colorado at Boulder, followed three groups of children to learn how their concern for others changed from preschool into the elementary school years. These children initially had low, moderate or high levels of aggressive and disruptive behaviors. When the children were four and-a-half and six and-a-half years old, the scientists observed the children's responses to simulated injuries to their mothers and a female experimenter who dropped objects to the floor and pretended to injure their foot. In each case, the adult winced or grimaced, vocally expressed pain, and rubbed the injured area. In addition, at six and-a-half years old, mothers, teachers, and children answered questions about the children's concern for others.

What are the findings?

The study found that at four and-a-half (preschool age), aggressive and disruptive children showed just as much concern in their responses to adults' distress (helped, comforted, sympathized) as did children with fewer problems. But over the following two years, the concern for others among children with the highest levels of problem behaviors actually decreased from preschool to elementary. The most aggressive and disruptive children were also described by mothers as the least interpersonally responsible (e.g., expressing confession, apology, awareness of appropriate behavior). The teachers described them as the least prosocial (e.g., not helpful to others, not liked by peers).

But not all of the highly aggressive and disruptive children's concern for others decreased. Some children with early behavior problems actually improved from preschool to elementary school age. These children may have become less antisocial because they were distressed by the fact that their actions harmed others. Concern for others may make it possible for children to take responsibility for their actions.

Scientists found an important link between parenting style and children's prosocial development. Mothers who are overly strict, harshly punitive, and who strongly show their anger or disappointment with their children, are likely to impede their children's prosocial development. This was true for children with and without behavior problems. Conversely, children had greater concern for others when mothers were warm, used reasoning and set appropriate guidelines and avoided the use of harsh punishments. Scientists thought that harsh parenting might lead a child to think that their parent did not care about them.

Gender differences were evident with girls always showing more concern than boys. This has been established in other studies.

How do these findings relate to ACT?

This study supports some important precepts of ACT:

• "Concern for others" is one part of the ACT strategy for resolving conflicts: adults ask each child in a conflict to talk about what happened and how it made them feel; encouraging feelings of empathy and remorse;
• Use of positive behavioral strategies for discipline as alternative to harsh, unreasonable punishments; and
• Importance of role modeling by adults-children learn by watching how the adults around them behave.

For more information

View press release and original journal article, September 17, 2000, "Misbehaving children's concern for others decreases as they enter the elementary school years, according to new study," http://www.apa.org/releases/concern.html.