The importance of callous–unemotional traits for extending the concept of psychopathy to children.

Abstract

This study focused on the use of callous-unemotional (CU) traits to identify a subgroup of children with both attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a conduct problem diagnosis (oppositional defiant disorder [ODD] or conduct disorder [CD] who show characteristics similar to adults with psychopathy. In a clinic-referred sample of children aged 6 to 13 years (N = 154), those with diagnoses of both ADHD and ODD/CD were divided on the basis of teacher ratings of CU traits. Children high on these traits showed features typically associated with psychopathy, such as a lack of fearfulness and a reward-dominant response style. Furthermore, children with CU traits seemed less distressed by their behavior problems. These findings are consistent with research on adults showing that impulsivity and antisocial behavior alone are insufficient to document persons who fit the construct of psychopathy.

Assessing callous–unemotional traits in adolescent offenders: Validation of the Inventory of Callous–Unemotional Traits

“…As noted in the introduction, CU traits constitute only one dimension of the construct of psychopathy. However, some have argued that it may be one of the most important dimensions to this personality disturbance, especially for differentiating within antisocial individuals (Barry et al, 2000;Skeem & Cooke, 2006). Therefore, not only may these traits be important for understanding a group of youth who show very severe and aggressive antisocial behaviors, it may be critical for understanding the developmental precursors to a very serious form of personality disturbance.…”

“…Specifically, the genetic influences on the development of conduct problems seem to be much higher in children with CU traits than in children without these traits (Viding, Blair, more likely to show deficits in their processing of negative emotional stimuli (Blair, 1999;Blair, Colledge, Murray, & Mitchell, 2001;Kimonis, Frick, Fazekas, & Loney, 2006;Loney, Frick, Clements, Ellis, & Kerlin, 2003), to show low levels of fearful inhibitions and anxiety Frick, Lilienfeld, Ellis, Loney, & Silverthorn, 1999;Lynam, Caspi, Moffit, Raine, Loeber, & Stouthamer-Loeber, 2005) and to show decreased sensitivity to punishment cues, especially when a reward-oriented response set is primed (Barry, Frick, Grooms, McCoy, Ellis, & Loney, 2000;Fisher & Blair, 1998).…”

Sensitivity to parenting in adolescents with callous/unemotional traits: Observational and experimental findings.

“…Internal consistency of the 6-item parent-reported CU scale was .75; the average inter-item correlation was .33. Categorical assessments of CU have used several cut points to indicate severe disturbance on the 6-item (12 point) scale; a score of 7 or greater (Barry et al, 2000), which corresponds to the 90 th percentile in a normative sample (P. J. Frick, & Hare, R.D., 2001), is used for descriptive purposes (Table 1) or for illustrative purposes ( Figure 1; see below).…”

The Reciprocal Influence of Callous-Unemotional Traits, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Parenting Practices in Preschoolers

“…The addition of the "limited prosocial emotions" specifier to conduct disorder (CD) in the DSM-5 reflects a recognition of the heterogeneity of traits and behaviors associated with antisocial behavior in youth and adolescents [1] and the need to examine callous-unemotional (CU) traits as characteristic of a particularly high-risk subgroup [2,3]. Children who score highly on measures of CU traits tend to exhibit diminished guilt after negative actions, insensitivity to punishment, poor recognition of distress in others, severe antisocial behavior, and a lack of empathy and fear [4].…”