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This study explores whether marital quality mediates the effects of a parenting intervention on preschoolers' conduct problems and effortful control. Using data from 209 children in a two-wave randomized controlled trial of the Hitkashrut program, participants were assigned to either a 14-session co-parent training group or a minimal intervention control group. Intent-to-treat analysis revealed that improvements in marital quality significantly mediated the intervention's impact on both conduct problems and effortful control. An alternative model, which hypothesized that changes in child behavior would lead to improvements in marital quality, was not supported, reinforcing the importance of targeting marital dynamics to achieve better child outcomes. These findings highlight the potential of marital-focused strategies within parenting interventions to foster healthier family environments and improve long-term developmental trajectories in children., (© 2024 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.)

Parenting intervention (PI) is an effective treatment for children's conduct problems (CP) that has been shown to be mediated by improved parenting practices and parenting self-efficacy. Recently, Hitkashrut's randomized controlled trial demonstrated that ineffective parenting (IP) mediated effects on callous-unemotional (CU) traits and effortful control (EC), while controlling for more general treatment effects on CP. These temperament and personality-based features predict the formation of early-onset antisocial trajectories with poor long-term prognosis. The objective of this study was to use Hitkashrut's 3-wave dataset to test posttreatment EC and CU mediation of treatment effect on 1-year follow-up CP, and to determine whether mediation by each child-level potential mediator remains significant when tested concurrently with the parenting mediator. Parents of 209 3-5 year-old preschoolers (163 boys; 46 girls), with subclinical-clinical range CP were assigned to 14-session co-parent training groups (n = 140 couples), or to minimal intervention control groups (n = 69 couples). Assessments were based on both parents' questionnaires. An intent-to-treat analysis showed that EC and CU traits simultaneously mediated treatment effects on CP in one EC/CU mediational model. The concurrent testing of child- and parent-level mediators showed mediation by IP and CU traits in the CU/IP model, and IP mediation in the EC/IP model. Similar results were obtained in mediational analyses that controlled for the shared variance between the mediators and CP at T2. Overall, the findings support an intervention model of coaching parents of high-CP children to promote moral self-regulatory competencies while concurrently applying behavioral methods that directly target CP.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits and effortful control (EC) are personality and temperament traits implicated in early-onset antisocial trajectories. This secondary analysis of Hitkashrut's randomized controlled trial first tested parent training's effects on EC and CU traits while controlling for more general treatment effects on conduct problems (CP), and subsequently tested mediation by parenting. Prekindergarten teachers in three Israeli cities identified 209 3-5 year-old (163 boys; 46 girls) preschoolers with subclinical-clinical range conduct problems. All participants were Jewish ranging from ultra-orthodox to secular. They were assigned to 14-session co-parent training groups (n = 140 couples), or to minimal intervention control groups with referral to local services as necessary (n = 69 couples). We employed averaged indices of pre- and post-intervention questionnaires completed by both parents. The testing of all hypothesized models controlled for treatment effects on CP in order to strengthen the robustness of the analyses. We found significant concurrent treatment effects on CP and on either CU traits or EC. All effects were mediated by ineffective parenting (IP): a latent variable that was indicated by negative/inconsistent practices and perceived parenting inefficacy. This is the first demonstration of parenting mediated treatment effects on both EC and CU traits in a randomized controlled study conducted in everyday practice contexts. This finding supports a disruption model of change: the reduction of IP facilitates a caregiving environment that affects children's behavior and developing personality. The changing of personality and temperament characteristics implicated in early-onset pathways suggests an innovative prevention strategy for disruptive behavior disorders.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits and effortful control (EC) are two early dispositions that play a key role in developmental pathways of childhood-onset conduct problems (CP). Recently, a randomized controlled trial of an early parenting intervention (PI) with parents of preschoolers with CP, called Hitkashrut, indicated that these dispositions are interrelated, and can be improved following treatment. The objective of the current study was to use Hitkashrut's 2-wave dataset to test a temperamentally-driven mechanism in which EC is hypothesized to mediate PI's effect on CU traits. Parents of 209 preschoolers (163 boys; 46 girls), with subclinical-clinical range CP were assigned to 14-session co-parent training groups (n = 140 couples), or to minimal intervention control groups (n = 69 couples). All participants were Jewish ranging from ultra-orthodox to secular. We employed averaged indices of pre- and post-intervention questionnaires completed by both parents. An intent-to-treat analysis showed that EC partially mediated treatment effect on CU traits, while controlling for treatment effect on CP. A nonsignificant alternative model in which CU traits mediate effect on children's EC further supported the hypothesis that change in EC preceded change in CU traits. This is the first demonstration of EC mediated treatment effect on CU traits in a randomized controlled study conducted in everyday practice settings. Overall, the results suggested that CU traits are malleable following appropriate treatment and affected by improvement in temperamental self-regulatory capacity as indicated by EC. The results suggest that preschoolers' CU traits can be improved by incorporating intervention that enhance self-regulation capabilities. Highlights: Effortful control (EC) mediated parenting intervention's effect on callous-unemotional (CU) traits in real-world settings. Preschoolers' CU traits can be improved by enhancing self-regulation capabilities. EC partially mediated treatment effect on CU traits, while controlling for CP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]