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Adrichem, D.S. van; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Heijden, K.B. van der; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, H. 2020

Aggressive behavior during toddlerhood: interrelated effects of prenatal risk factors, negative affect and cognition

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Adrichem, D.S. van; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Heijden, K.B. van der; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, J.T. 2020

The role of inhibitory control, attention and vocabulary in physical aggression trajectories from infancy to toddlerhood

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Noten, M.M.P.G.; Heijden, K.B. van der; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, H. 2020

Associations between empathy, inhibitory control, and physical aggression in toddlerhood

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Impaired empathy has been associated with aggression in children, adolescents and adults, but results have been contradictory for the preschool period. Impaired inhibitory control also increases... Show moreImpaired empathy has been associated with aggression in children, adolescents and adults, but results have been contradictory for the preschool period. Impaired inhibitory control also increases the risk of aggression, and possibly moderates empathy-aggression associations. The current study investigated whether empathy and inhibitory control are associated with aggression in toddlerhood. Furthermore, we aimed to clarify the role of inhibitory control in empathy and aggression, specifically, whether inhibitory control moderates the association between empathy and aggression. During a laboratory visit at age 30 months (N = 103), maternal reports of physical aggression were obtained and child inhibitory control was examined using a gift delay task. Empathy was examined by obtaining behavioral observations and recording physiological responses (heart rate response and respiratory sinus arrhythmia response) to an empathy-eliciting event (i.e., simulated distress). Reduced inhibitory control was associated with more aggression. Behavioral and physiological indicators of empathy were not associated with aggression. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed an interaction effect of heart rate response to distress simulation with inhibitory control in the prediction of aggression. Post hoc analyses indicated a negative association between heart rate response and aggression when inhibitory control was high, but a positive association was found in toddlers who demonstrated low inhibitory control. These results suggest that children are less aggressive when they have both high levels of empathy and inhibitory control. Therefore, both empathy and inhibition are important targets for interventions aiming to reduce or prevent aggression at a young age. Show less

Adrichem, D.S. van; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Heijden, K.B. van der; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, H. 2019

Aggression in toddlerhood: The roles of parental beliefs, parenting behavior and precursors of theory of mind

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Parental beliefs, parenting behavior, and precursors of theory of mind have been related uniquely to each other and to early aggression, but have not yet been studied simultaneously. The present... Show moreParental beliefs, parenting behavior, and precursors of theory of mind have been related uniquely to each other and to early aggression, but have not yet been studied simultaneously. The present study combined these risk factors in the prediction of aggression during toddlerhood using a sample of 152 mother-child dyads. At 20 months, mothers' parental beliefs (parental self-efficacy and perceived parental impact) were examined with the Parental Cognitions and Conduct Toward the Infant Scale. Maternal parenting behavior (sensitivity, intrusiveness, and successful positive engagement) was observed during free play and teaching tasks, and children's precursors of theory of mind were assessed using a visual perspectives task and an imitation task. At 30 months, child aggression was examined using the Child Behavior Checklist. A regression analysis indicated that lower parental self-efficacy and lower imitation skills predicted more aggressive behavior. When estimating the indirect effects using bootstrapping, a final model was found indicating that lower perceived parental impact was related to less successful positive engagement, which, in turn, was associated with children's poorer imitation abilities which predicted more aggressive behavior. It can be concluded that aggression during toddlerhood is predicted significantly by interrelated parental beliefs, parenting behavior, and children's early social cognitive abilities. Show less

Noten, M.M.P.G.; Heijden, K.B. van der; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, H. 2019

Infant emotional responses to challenge predict empathic behavior in toddlerhood

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Although emotional responses are theorized to be important in the development of empathy, findings regarding the prediction of early empathic behavior by infant behavioral and physiological... Show moreAlthough emotional responses are theorized to be important in the development of empathy, findings regarding the prediction of early empathic behavior by infant behavioral and physiological responses are mixed. This study examined whether behavioral and physiological responses to mild emotional challenge (still face paradigm and car seat task) in 118 infants at age 6 months predicted empathic distress and empathic concern in response to an empathy-evoking task (i.e, experimenter's distress simulation) at age 20 months. Correlation analyses, corrected for sex and baseline levels of physiological arousal, showed that stronger physiological and behavioral responses to emotional challenge at age 6 months were positively related to observed empathic distress, but not empathic concern, at age 20 months. Linear regression analyses indicated that physiological and behavioral responses to challenge at 6 months independently predicted empathic distress at 20 months, which suggests an important role for both physiological and behavioral emotional responses in empathy development. In addition, curvilinear regression analyses showed quadratic associations between behavioral responses at 6 months, and empathic distress and empathic concern at 20 months, which indicates that moderate levels of behavioral responsivity predict the highest levels of empathic distress and empathic concern. Show less

Adrichem, D.S. van; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Heijden, K.B. van der; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, H. 2019

Prenatal risk and physical aggression during the first years of life: The gender-specific role of inhibitory control

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Prenatal risk and a lack of inhibitory control have consistently been related to the development of physical aggression in older children. This study examined whether inhibitory control mediated... Show morePrenatal risk and a lack of inhibitory control have consistently been related to the development of physical aggression in older children. This study examined whether inhibitory control mediated the relation between prenatal risk and aggression in infants and toddlers. The role of gender in this mediation model was also examined. The sample consisted of 161 mother-child dyads (83 boys). A prenatal cumulative risk score was created from a number of well-established risk factors including maternal psychopathology, substance use, and social and socioeconomic disadvantages. At 12 months, children performed an inhibitory control task. Physical aggression was assessed through maternal reports at 12 and 20 months of age. Results showed that higher prenatal risk was associated with more physical aggression. Inhibitory control mediated this association at both 12 and 20 months: higher prenatal risk was related to lower inhibitory control, which in turn led to higher aggression. At 20 months, gender moderated the mediation effect: the mediating role of inhibitory control was only found for girls. These results suggest that even before 2 years of age, inhibitory control is an important construct involved in the relation between prenatal risk and physical aggression. Show less

Noten, M.M.P.G.; Heijden, K.B. van der; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, H. 2019

Indicators of affective empathy, cognitive empathy, and social attention during emotional clips in relation to aggression in 3-year-olds

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Research indicates that impaired empathy is a risk factor of aggression and that social attention is important for empathy. The role of social attention in associations between empathy and... Show moreResearch indicates that impaired empathy is a risk factor of aggression and that social attention is important for empathy. The role of social attention in associations between empathy and aggression has not yet been fully elucidated. Therefore, indicators of affective empathy, cognitive empathy, social attention, and aggression were simultaneously assessed in children aged 45 months. A total of 61 mother-child dyads participated in a lab visit, during which maternal reports of aggression were obtained. Children watched three clips showing a sad, scared, and happy child, respectively, and a neutral social clip while heart rate was recorded. Heart rate change from nonsocial baseline clips to emotional clips was calculated as an index of affective empathy. Questions about the emotions of the children in the clips were asked to assess cognitive empathy. Social attention was defined as time spent looking at faces during the clips. Correlation analyses revealed negative associations between affective empathy and aggression and between social attention and aggression. Furthermore, multivariate linear regression analyses indicated that the association between affective empathy and aggression was moderated by social attention; the negative association between affective empathy and aggression was stronger in children with relatively reduced social attention. No association was found between cognitive empathy and aggression. Therefore, both affective empathy and social attention are important targets for early interventions that aim to prevent or reduce aggression. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Show less

Noten, M.M.P.G.; Van der Heijen, K.B.; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Bouw, N.; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, H. 2019

Empathic distress and concern predict aggression in toddlerhood: The moderating role of sex

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Impaired empathy is an important risk factor of aggression, but results are contradictory in toddlerhood. The association between empathy and aggression may differ for empathic distress and empathic concern in response to empathy-evoking situations, and for boys and girls. Therefore, the current study investigated whether empathic distress and empathic concern at age 20 months (N = 133, 69 boys) predicted aggression at ages 20 and 30 months (N = 119, 62 boys), while taking a potential moderating effect of sex into account. Empathic behavior was observed during a distress simulation task 20 months post-partum. Physical aggression was assessed through maternal report, using the Physical Aggression Scale for Early Childhood. Linear regression analyses revealed sex differences in the associations between empathic distress and concern on the one hand and physical aggression at age 20 months on the other. Furthermore, physical aggression at age 30 months was predicted by the interaction of sex with empathic distress at age 20 months, while controlling for aggression at age 20 months. More empathic distress and concern were associated with less physical aggression in girls, but not in boys. The findings indicate that the prediction of physical aggression by empathic distress was more robust over time than for empathic concern. This study sheds new light on the intricate relationship between empathy, aggression, and sex from a developmental perspective.

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Suurland, J.; Heijden, K.B. van der; Smaling, H.J.A.; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, H. 2017

Infant autonomic nervous system response and recovery: Associations with maternal risk status and infant emotion regulation

Article / Letter to editor

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Suurland, J.; Heijden, K.B. van der; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, J.T. 2017

Infant Parasympathetic and Sympathetic Activity during Baseline, Stress and Recovery: Interactions with Prenatal Adversity Predict Physical Aggression in Toddlerhood.

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Exposure to prenatal adversity is associated with aggression later in life. Individual differences in autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning, specifically nonreciprocal activation of the... Show moreExposure to prenatal adversity is associated with aggression later in life. Individual differences in autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning, specifically nonreciprocal activation of the parasympathetic (PNS) and sympathetic (SNS) nervous systems, increase susceptibility to aggression, especially in the context of adversity. Previous work examining interactions between early adversity and ANS functioning in infancy is scarce and has not examined interaction between PNS and SNS. This study examined whether the PNS and SNS moderate the relation between cumulative prenatal risk and early physical aggression in 124 children (57% male). Cumulative risk (e.g., maternal psychiatric disorder, substance (ab)use, and social adversity) was assessed during pregnancy. Parasympathetic respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and sympathetic pre-ejection period (PEP) at baseline, in response to and during recovery from emotional challenge were measured at 6 months. Physical aggression and non-physical aggression/oppositional behavior were measured at 30 months. The results showed that cumulative prenatal risk predicted elevated physical aggression and non-physical aggression/oppositional behavior in toddlerhood; however, the effects on physical aggression were moderated by PNS and SNS functioning. Specifically, the effects of cumulative risk on physical aggression were particularly evident in children characterized by low baseline PNS activity and/or by nonreciprocal activity of the PNS and SNS, characterized by decreased activity (i.e., coinhibition) or increased activity (i.e., coactivation) of both systems at baseline and/or in response to emotional challenge. These findings extend our understanding of the interaction between perinatal risk and infant ANS functioning on developmental outcome. Show less

Schoorl, J.; Rijn, S. van; De Wied, M.; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, J.T. 2017

Neurobiological stress responses predict aggression in boys with oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder: A 1-year follow-up intervention study

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Schoorl, J.; Rijn, S. van; De Wied, K.; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, J.T. 2017

Boys with Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct Disorder Show Impaired Adaptation During Stress: An Executive Functioning Study.

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Evidence for problems in executive functioning (EF) in children with oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD) is mixed and the impact stress may have on EF is understudied. Working... Show moreEvidence for problems in executive functioning (EF) in children with oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder (ODD/CD) is mixed and the impact stress may have on EF is understudied. Working memory, sustained attention, inhibition and cognitive flexibility of boys with ODD/CD (n = 65) and non-clinical controls (n = 32) were examined under typical and stressful test conditions. Boys with ODD/CD showed impaired working memory under typical testing conditions, and impairments in working memory and sustained attention under stressful conditions. In contrast to controls, performance on sustained attention, cognitive flexibility and inhibition was less influenced by stress in boys with ODD/CD. These results suggest that boys with ODD/CD show impairments in adaptation to the environment whereas typically developing boys show adaptive changes in EF. Show less

Suurland, J.; Heijden, K.B. van der; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, H. 2017

Interaction between prenatal risk and infant parasympathetic and sympathetic stress reactivity predicts early aggression

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Nonreciprocal action of the parasympathetic (PNS) and sympathetic (SNS) nervous systems, increases susceptibility to emotional and behavioral problems in children exposed to adversity. Little is... Show moreNonreciprocal action of the parasympathetic (PNS) and sympathetic (SNS) nervous systems, increases susceptibility to emotional and behavioral problems in children exposed to adversity. Little is known about the PNS and SNS in interaction with early adversity during infancy. Yet this is when the physiological systems involved in emotion regulation are emerging and presumably most responsive to environmental influences. We examined whether parasympathetic respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and sympathetic pre-ejection period (PEP) response and recovery at six months, moderate the association between cumulative prenatal risk and physical aggression at 20 months (N = 113). Prenatal risk predicted physical aggression, but only in infants exhibiting coactivation of PNS and SNS (i.e., increase in RSA and decrease in PEP) in response to stress. These findings indicate that coactivation of the PNS and SNS in combination with prenatal risk is a biological marker for the development of aggression. Show less

Smaling, H.J.A.; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Heijden, K.B. van der; Hay, D.F.; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, H. 2017

Prenatal Reflective Functioning and Development of Aggression in Infancy: the Roles of Maternal Intrusiveness and Sensitivity

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Smaling, H.J.A.; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Heijden, K.B. van der; Hay, D.F.; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, J.T. 2017

Prenatal reflective functioning and development of aggression in infancy: The roles of maternal intrusiveness and sensitivity

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Smaling, H.J.A.; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Suurland, J.; Heijden, K.B. van der; Mesman, J.; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, H. 2016

Prenatal Reflective Functioning and Accumulated Risk as Predictors of Maternal Interactive Behavior During Free Play, the Still-Face Paradigm, and Two Teaching Tasks

Article / Letter to editor

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Laurent, H.K.; Harold, G.T.; Leve, L.; Shelton, K.H.; Goozen, S.H.M. van 2016

Understanding the unfolding of stress regulation in infants

Article / Letter to editor

open access

Schoorl, J.; Rijn, S. van; De Wied, M.; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, J.T. 2016

The role of anxiety in cortisol stress response and cortisol recovery in boys with oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder

Article / Letter to editor

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Pijper, J.; De Wied, M.; Rijn, S. van; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, J.T.; Meeus, W. 2016

Callous unemotional traits, autism spectrum disorder symptoms and empathy in boys with oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder

Article / Letter to editor

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Smaling, H.J.A.; Huijbregts, S.C.J.; Heijden, K.B. van der; Goozen, S.H.M. van; Swaab, H. 2016

Maternal reflective functioning as a multidimensional construct: Differential associations with children's temperament and externalizing behavior

Article / Letter to editor

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