Does Chaotic Family Relate to Early Externalizing Problems? The Roles of Child Callousness and Mindful Motherhood

Preschoolers’ externalizing problem behaviors have a profound negative impact on their social adjustment, both concurrently and in the future. Household chaos is a key environmental risk factor; however, the mechanisms underlying this link require further investigation. The current study aimed to examine associations between household chaos and externalizing problem behaviors in preschool children and the roles of callous–unemotional traits and maternal mindful parenting. The participants were 615 children aged 3–7 years (341 boys and 274 girls) and their mothers from Guangdong, China. Data on household chaos, maternal mindful parenting, children’s callous–unemotional traits, and externalizing problem behaviors were collected using mother-reported questionnaires. Results indicated that household chaos was significantly and positively related to externalizing problem behaviors in young children, with callous–unemotional traits acting as a mediator. Maternal mindful parenting was also found to moderate the association between callous–unemotional traits and externalizing problem behaviors. These findings emphasize the necessity of optimizing the home environment and providing mindful parenting training in preventing and intervening in early childhood socioemotional and behavioral problems.