Intergenerational influence of parental childhood psychological maltreatment and emotional expressiveness on children’s callous-unemotional traits: a longitudinal actor–partner interdependence model

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The present study examined the impact of parental childhood psychological maltreatment (CPM) on children’s callous-unemotional (CU) traits and explored the mediating effects of both paternal and maternal emotional expressiveness (EE) using two-wave longitudinal actor-partner interdependence models. 366 parent dyads with children aged 6–12 completed measures of CPM, EE, and CU traits of their children. The results showed that parental CPM positively predicted children’s CU traits. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model with Mediation (APIMeM) revealed significant indirect actor effects for both parents. Specifically, parental CPM was indirectly related to increased children’s later CU traits through lower levels of their own positive EE, while paternal, but not maternal CPM, was indirectly associated with children’s later CU traits through their own negative EE in terms of actor effect. Furthermore, lower levels of paternal positive EE served as a mediator between maternal CPM and children’s later CU traits in terms of partner effect. These findings highlight the importance of acknowledging the intergenerational effects of parental characteristics, particularly the role of fathers, when developing prevention programs for children’s CU traits.