Attentional Orientation Patterns toward Emotional Faces and Temperamental Correlates of Preschool Oppositional Defiant Problems: The Moderating Role of Callous-Unemotional Traits and Anxiety Symptoms

Abstract

The present study examined the independent contributions and the interaction effects of oppositional defiant problems (ODD), callous unemotional traits (CU) and anxiety symptoms on attentional orienting to emotional faces, in a community sample of preschoolers. Additionally, based on Rothbart's (2007) model of temperament, we analyzed whether fine-grained dimensions of reactivity (fear, anger, discomfort, sadness, activity level, approach, high intensity pleasure, impulsivity) and self-regulation (attentional shifting, attentional focusing, inhibitory control), as well as the higher order temperamental factors of negative affectivity, surgency and effortful control are associated with CU traits and ODD-related problems. Attentional orienting to emotional faces was assessed with pictorial Dot-probe task, while teachers rated CU traits and ODD-related problems. Also, parents reported on ODD-related problems, anxiety and temperament. Results indicated significant interaction effects between ODD-related problems and CU, as well as between CU and anxiety, in predicting attentional orientation patterns for angry, fearful and happy faces. Moreover, temperamental reactivity was positively associated with CU traits and ODD-related problems, whereas temperamental self-regulation was negatively related to CU traits and ODD-related problems. Results of this study have implications for early intervention and prevention approaches targeting preschool oppositional defiant problems.

Role of Callous and Unemotional (CU) Traits on the Development of Youth with Behavioral Disorders: A Systematic Review

“…Table S1 in Supplementary Materials provides an overview of the 52 studies published from 2015 to 2020, included in the review for analysis. Among the 52 studies, most authors reported results on more than one dimension of the model, e.g., [ 69 , 70 ], 47 reported effects on mental health, e.g., [ 71 , 72 , 73 ] or on neurobiological features, e.g., [ 69 , 74 , 75 ], 22 on social contexts, e.g., [ 36 , 76 ], eight on social adjustment, e.g., [ 77 , 78 ], 10 on social roles and social interactions, e.g., [ 79 , 80 ] and 19 on executive functions or cognition, e.g., [ 81 , 82 ]. The majority (k = 17) were carried out in the USA, e.g., [ 83 , 84 ], two in Canada [ 70 , 85 ], two in Australia, two in Israel, the one in Europe (Spain, Germany, Netherlands, etc.).…”

“…Among many different tools (see note to Table S2 ), measures of behavioral and emotional symptomatology in children and adolescents (e.g., CD, ODD, ADHD, anxiety, depression) have been mainly assessed using the SDQ (e.g., [ 4 , 79 ]), the CBCL (e.g., [ 72 , 94 ]) the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL; [ 95 ]), e.g., [ 96 , 97 ] and the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ; [ 98 ]), e.g., [ 69 , 99 ]. To measure the presence of autistic traits in children and adolescents, different scales have been used, as the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS; [ 100 ]), e.g., [ 101 ] and the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ; [ 102 ]), e.g., [ 75 ].…”

“…Results indicate four important outcomes: (1) all studies that have measured relationships between CU traits and externalized disorders found significant links, especially with ODD, CD, e.g., [ 105 , 106 ], and with ADHD or ASD [ 75 ]. As compared with children with only ODD or CD, children with ODD or CD and high CU traits exhibit antisocial behavior more severe, stable, and varied in nature [ 107 ]; (2) comorbidities with internalized disorders and anxiety disorders were also found in most studies, e.g., [ 41 , 108 ]; only two did not find a significant relationship with high CU traits [ 4 , 69 ]; (3) out of the 18 studies that investigated emotional features associated with high CU traits, 15 highlighted difficulties in emotional regulation, e.g., [ 101 , 109 ] while only three studies found no link [ 72 , 107 , 110 ]. Research points out the problems of emotional regulation experienced by children with high CU traits, particularly in terms of anger, sadness, and lack of empathy, and emotional overmodulation [ 111 ].…”

“…Current emotional models show an increase in the intensity of aversive and negative responses as a result of these biased assessments [ 107 ]. Outcomes of Erdogan [ 72 ] and Dackis [ 105 ] underlines that while the presence of CU traits without anxiety is characterized by difficulties in responding emotionally to the distress of others and a poor response to stress, the combination of high levels of CU traits and anxiety is characterized by negative emotionality, impulsivity, hyperarousal, strong arousal reactivity to emotional stimuli, and strong fear reactivity, driven by environmental adversity (violence of context, trauma experience, abuse); and (4) CU traits are not specific to children with CD but may also be observed in children with other disorders as ASDs or ADHD [ 104 ].…”

“…Summary of results—cognitive dimension. References [ 7 , 21 , 36 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 94 , 96 , 99 , 101 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 , 125 , 126 , 127 , 128 ] are cited in the Supplementary Materials.…”