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1
Head, Sarah Elizabeth. "Parental influences on children's callous-unemotional traits." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Psychology, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/2272.
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Research into offending behaviour has, in recent years, turned to investigating the pathways that may lead a person to offend. One of the major developments in this area is the recognition that the presence of high levels of callous-unemotional traits may delineate a particular subgroup of children that are at particular risk of becoming career offenders. The present study examined the relationships between children’s levels of callous-unemotional traits and a number of parental variables. 125 children (at initial assessment) from low decile schools and their caregivers took part in this study. The results indicated that several aspects of parenting (frequency and consistency of discipline, monitoring/supervision, involvement with children, positive parenting, and parental empathy) showed associations with callous-unemotional traits. These results both supported existing literature in this area, and highlighted important areas that need to be considered when planning and implementing interventions for antisocial youth.
2
Clark, Julia E. "Positive Parenting, Conduct Problems, and Callous-Unemotional Traits." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2015. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2063.
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The current study tested the association of both positive and negative aspects of parenting with callous-unemotional (CU) traits and conduct problems. Caregivers of 92 kindergarteners were recruited to complete a series of survey measures. Overall, parent-report of negative parenting practices was not associated with teacher report of conduct problems. However, parent report of positive parenting practices (i.e., warmth, positive reinforcement, positive communication and cooperation) was negatively associated with conduct problems and CU traits. Interactions between positive parenting variables and CU traits in their association with conduct problems indicated that positive reinforcement related more strongly to lower levels of conduct problem behavior for youth with high levels of CU traits. However, positive communication and cooperation related more strongly to conduct problems for youth with lower levels of CU traits. These associations suggest that parenting may play a role in the development of CU traits and conduct problems.
3
Gostisha, Andrew. "Neuroendocrine Function of Female Youth with Callous-Unemotional Traits." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2011. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/460.
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Callous-unemotional (CU) traits have been shown to designate a particular subgroup of antisocial youth that are particularly violent, recidivistic, and more likely to continue offending in adulthood. Disordered neuroendocrine function may be a mechanism for the development of CU traits. We examined whether altered stress responsivity served as a mechanism linking stress exposure and the expression of CU traits. Participants were 15 incarcerated adolescent girls with CU traits. Measures of CU traits, stress exposure, and salivary cortisol were collected. Results revealed girls with CU traits had higher morning levels of cortisol, an intact cortisol awakening response (CAR), and flatter diurnal rhythms. Results indicated the type of stressor being measured and time since stressor onset are crucial to the interpretation of neuroendocrine function. We also found support for a neurobiological model for the development of CU traits drawing on the Adaptive Calibration Model. Implications of the study and directions for further research are discussed.
4
Kemp, Lindsay. "The Relationship Between Extinction Learning Processes and Callous Unemotional Traits." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2022. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/28875.
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Callous Unemotional (CU) traits are an informative clinical construct, identifying individuals at risk of conduct disorder and treatment resistance. This thesis examines associative processes that may underlie this resistance. Specifically, extinction learning processes, which allow individuals to maintain expectations that match the outcomes of their behaviour. It is often assumed that there is an established link between CU traits and deficient associative learning of this kind. However, a systematic review of the current literature, described in this thesis, reveals that the evidence for this relationship is not consistent. This finding indicated the need for a study of this correlation using a well powered experimental methodology. As a result, six studies were carried out to develop a computer-based task able to measure extinction learning in large samples from the general population, with CU traits assessed using the Inventory of Callous Unemotional Traits (ICU). Findings from this series included repeated observations of CU trait associated extinction deficits. They also provided unique data on whether CU traits affect the relapse of extinguished behaviour. Furthermore, an unanticipated effect of cultural factors was observed. In consideration of these findings, observed parameters were utilised in the design of a large-scale confirmatory study with over 700 participants. This study also investigated the role of cultural variables in the structure and external validity of the ICU, as well as its association with extinction learning. This thesis therefore provides useful data on the relationship between CU traits and extinction learning, as well as on the cross- cultural validity of the ICU, representing a significant contribution to our understanding of the aetiology and phenotypic characteristics of CU traits.
5
Baker, Rosalind Helen. "Callous-unemotional traits and emotion processing in typically developing youths." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2017. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/7413/.
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The aim of this thesis was to investigate whether callous unemotional (CU) traits in typically developing children and adolescents show similar associations with behavioural and neural responses as seen in clinical and forensic populations. Three investigations, presented in Chapters 3-5, focussed on the behavioural and neural correlates of emotion recognition and processing. An exploration of the behavioural recognition of the six basic emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, anger, disgust, and surprise) indicated negative correlations between levels of CU traits and accurate recognition of sadness and disgust (Chapter 3). Based on an examination of neural correlates of emotion recognition during a subliminal emotion processing task, which included angry and fearful faces, it was concluded that activation levels in the bilateral amygdala and insula during fear processing, but not anger processing, were negatively correlated with CU traits (Chapter 4). Finally, based on an investigation of the structural integrity in the bilateral uncinate fasciculus (UF), which is a white matter tract reported to be relevant in psychopathy, it was concluded that fractional anisotropy in the right UF was negatively associated with CU traits, but only in youths aged 16-18 years (Chapter 5). These investigations produced novel findings and advanced the understanding of the dimensional nature of CU traits in typically developing youths.
6
Longman, Thea Pearse. "Parental Attributions, Callous-Unemotional Traits and Early Chidhood Conduct Problems." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/13884.
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Childhood conduct problems (CP) are associated with significant impairment and disruption for the individual and their environment, and account for the greatest cost to psychological services of all childhood psychopathologies. It is now well established that the most chronic and severe patterns of antisocial behaviour are initiated early in life. Harsh and coercive discipline has been identified as one of the strongest risk factors for the development of early CP. Across a range of psychopathologies, parental causal attributions have been found to contribute to these negative parenting practices. In spite of growing evidence regarding the importance of parental attributions, no research has examined attributions in relation to CU traits. High callous-unemotional (CU) traits represent a risk pathway for particularly severe CP among children with early-onset antisocial behaviours. A meta-analysis of studies examining CU traits in children prior to five years of age demonstrated a significant positive relationship between CU traits and conduct problem severity, in the order of a large effect size. Research is needed to understand the contributions of parenting risk processes to early childhood conduct problems and CU traits. The aim of the current study was to examine parental attributions concerning conduct problems and CU traits among parents of children referred for conduct problems in early childhood. Eighty parents and their children participated in the research project. Participation required the completion of a number of questionnaires measuring parental attributions, negative parenting, parent depression, child temperament and child behaviour. Observational data of interactions between the parent and child were also coded to assess the emotional quality of the parent child relationship. Hypotheses concerning associations between parental attributions, parental responses and conduct problems were partially supported. CP severity was associated with internal attributions, negative affective responses and overreactive discipline. While internal and controllable attributions were associated with parent negative affect, no significant interactions were found between parental attributions and parental responses in the prediction of CP. Hypotheses concerning associations between parental attributions, parental responses and CU traits were not supported. CU traits were not associated with any parenting variable. It was found however, that parent generated negative attributions were associated with harsher parenting towards CU traits. The finding that parent generated negative attributions were higher for CP than CU traits was consistent with the suggestion that a child’s age may be a protective factor against negative attributions towards CU traits. The results of the current study suggest that while parental attributions may not play an important role in the development of early childhood CP and CU traits, they may influence how parents respond to particular child behaviours. Hence, exploring parents’ causal reasoning for child behaviour may provide important insights into dysfunctional parenting processes. The thesis highlights that the presence of CU traits is a marker for particularly severe conduct problems beginning in early childhood, and that greater understanding is needed of the parent child dynamics that shape early developmental trajectories associated with CU traits.
7
Hawes, David Psychology Faculty of Science UNSW. "The treatment of conduct problems in children with callous-unemotional traits." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Psychology, 2004. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/20660.
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The aim of this study was to determine the impact of callous-unemotional (CU) traits on treatment outcomes and processes in a 10-week behavioural parent training intervention with young boys referred for conduct problems (n=55, mean age 6.29 years). The study represents the first investigation of this risk factor in an early intervention trial, and extends the body of research examining the predictive utility of childhood CU traits in relation to subsequent antisocial behaviour. As predicted, CU traits were associated with greater conduct problems at pre-treatment, and these traits were related to poor treatment outcomes at 6-month follow-up even when controlling for baseline conduct problem severity. Consistent with the low levels of fearful inhibitions characteristic of the CU temperament, the behaviour of boys with high CU traits was less responsive to time-out discipline than that of boys without CU traits. Boys with high levels of CU traits also reacted with less affect to this discipline. The effects of CU traits on treatment outcomes and processes were not related to differences in treatment implementation by parents. These findings provide evidence that conduct problems in boys with CU traits are less responsive to changes in parenting processes than those of boys without these traits, and present important implications for the role of child temperament in the treatment of conduct problems.
8
Panckhurst, Simon Joseph. "Do callous-unemotional traits and aggression predict later disruptive school behaviours?" Thesis, University of Canterbury. Psychology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/5191.
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The current study obtained teacher and parent ratings of callous unemotional (CU) traits and aggression of 118 low socio economic middle school children at Time 1 and investigated the extent to which these variables individually and combined were able to predict school disruptive behaviours as by rated their teachers in Time 2 using multiple regression. Other Time 2 school variables were also assessed for their ability to add to the predictive model using stepwise hierarchical regression. The results showed both aggression and CU traits were predictive, but that CU traits did not explain additional variance over and above aggression. Two school variables were found to also explain additional variance over and above aggression at a statistically significant level. The first, that subtracted the total number of antisocial peers from total number of prosocial peers, was a stronger predictor than antisocial peers. The second, caregiver’s involvement in assisting their child with school homework, was assumed to represent parental support. Interpretations, limitations and areas for future research are discussed.
9
Thornton, Laura C. "Adolescents with Callous Unemotional Traits and their Roles in Group Crime." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2012. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1559.
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The present study examined the relationship between callous-unemotional (CU) traits and self-reported leadership characteristics during group crimes among 614 first-time offenders participating in a large multi-site study. Resistance to peer influence (RPI) and self-esteem (SE) were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between CU traits and leadership during group crime. The results indicated that youth with CU traits were more likely to commit crimes with others. Further, although youth with CU traits reported they came up with the idea for crimes and were leaders during group crimes, these relationships were not mediated by RPI and SE. Future research on youth with CU traits characteristics during group crimes is recommended and implications for tailored treatments of this population are discussed.
10
Golmaryami, Farrah N. "The Romantic Relationships of Young Adults with Elevated Callous-Unemotional Traits." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2016. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2255.
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Callous-unemotional (CU) traits, an affective component of psychopathy, are associated with problematic outcomes in social relationships in adolescents. However, their association with problematic romantic relationships in young adults has not been the focus of research. In a community sample of 216 college students (167 females) between the ages of 18 to 50, the current study examined the association between CU traits and several important romantic relationship outcomes. Results indicated that CU traits showed positive associations with dominance and partner’s perceived submissiveness, but negative associations with relationship satisfaction, even after controlling for impulsivity and antisocial behavior. On the other hand, antisocial behavior showed unique positive associations with short-term mating, psychological aggression towards partner, and partner’s perceived CU traits, even after controlling for CU traits. Further, results indicated that CU traits, impulsivity, and antisocial behavior showed positive associations with physical aggression towards partner. However, once these variables were entered in a multiple regression model simultaneously, none of these associations remained significant, suggesting it is the shared variance across these three variables that accounts for physical aggression. Implications for research and treatment are discussed.
11
Burke, Allison Leigh. "Callous Unemotional Traits and Patterns of Antisocial Behavior Among Female Juvenile Offenders." OpenSIUC, 2013. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/782.
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The primary objective of the current study involved examining the influence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits on the aggressive behavior and criminal offending of female juveniles committed to a secure juvenile justice facility. A history of physical abuse was examined as a potential moderator of these relationships. The deviant behaviors of peers were examined with respect to the outcomes for the entire sample. A total of 63 female youth incarcerated at a Midwestern state correctional facility participated. Overall levels of callous-unemotional traits were not related to involvement in delinquent activities. However, specific aspects of CU traits were related to engagement in certain types of criminal behavior. Peer delinquency was related to self-reported engagement in criminal activities generally, as well as offenses against persons specifically. CU traits demonstrated significant relationships with measures of aggression, but no significant differences were found with respect to the relationship of CU traits with different types of aggression. Having a history of physical abuse was unrelated to levels of aggression and involvement in delinquency. These findings have implications for prevention and intervention programs in correctional settings and the community. However, potential problems with data collection and measurement of key variables are discussed. Additional research needs to be conducted to determine the mechanisms of the relationships found in this study.
12
Sng, Khai Imm. "Callous-Unemotional Traits, Negative Parenting Practices and Conduct Problems in Singaporean Families." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/17318.
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Research into callous-unemotional traits is largely limited to studies in Western countries (e.g., Waller, Gardner & Hyde, 2013). Three studies were thus conducted to examine CU traits in Asian culture. The first study reviewed existing research on CU traits in Asian countries based on key findings from Western countries: if CU traits in Asia were associated with increased severity of conduct problems, neurodevelopmental/emotion-related correlates, environmental risk factors and treatment outcomes. Findings from 15 samples provided some evidence of similar risk processes between Asian and Western samples, but also indicated some differences, e.g., associations between CU traits and anxiety or peer influence. In the second study, it was predicted that CU traits would moderate the associations between negative parenting and child aggression in a sample of clinic-referred children, based on findings of Yeh, Chen, Raine, Baker and Jacobson (2011) and differences in heritability of conduct problems between children with high and low CU traits (e.g., Dadds et al., 2006). Psychological aggressive parenting was associated with reactive and proactive aggression. Physically aggressive parenting was more strongly associated with proactive aggression among low-CU children than high-CU children. In the third study, it was predicted that there would be moderate stability of CU traits based on findings of genetic influence on CU traits (e.g., Viding et al., 2005) and bidirectional associations between CU traits and negative parenting. Contrary to predictions, our sample of clinic-referred children showed low stability of CU traits over a six-year period, and no bidirectional link between CU traits and negative parenting. Only parental psychological aggression predicted changes in CU traits. These findings raise the need for ongoing research into CU traits in Asian cultures.
13
Arvegård, Maria. "Aggressivt utagerande: Betydelsen av samtidig förekomst av callous-unemotional traits och impulsivitet." Thesis, Örebro universitet, Akademin för juridik, psykologi och socialt arbete, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-11513.
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Abstract The importance of the co-occurrence of callous-unemotional traits and impulsivity concerning aggressive acts was examined by a survey. The participants consisted of 1478 Swedish youth. Three groups with extreme scores on callous-unemotional traits and impulsivity was identified. The group scored high on both was more prone to show higher levels of aggressive and conduct problems behavior compare to the other groups. The aggressive and conduct problem behavior was shown at higher level in all examine variables. This study highlight that impulsivity can identify extreme aggressive individuals, without taking HIA (Hyperactivity, Impulsivity and Attention) problem as a entirety, to account, if shown with callous-unemotional traits. Keywords: Callous-unemotional traits, impulsivity, aggressive, conduct problem, youth, co-occurrence.
14
Crum, Kathleen I. "Anxiety and Callous-Unemotional Traits: Physiological and Behavioral Responses to Others' Distress." FIU Digital Commons, 2016. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2599.
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Research documents considerable anxiety-related heterogeneity in youth with callous-unemotional traits (CU), a pattern of callousness and shallow emotionality (Frick & Ellis, 1999) associated with lasting impairment (Fontaine et al., 2011). This heterogeneity may relate to behavioral differences, with the presence of both CU and anxiety associated with increased questionnaire-based reports of aggression and/or historical documentations of past aggression (Kahn et al., 2013). Anxiety in CU youth is associated with greater attention to others’ distress cues (Kimonis et al., 2012) compared to CU-only counterparts, in contrast to the decreased distress-cue attentiveness thought to contribute to aggression in CU youth (Dadds et al., 2011). Through its association with improvements in CU youths’ ability to detect others’ distress, anxiety may heighten autonomic activity associated with emotional processing, in contrast to the dampened autonomic activity observed in CU youth (de Wied et al., 2012). It is possible that CU associations with distress-cue recognition and parasympathetic-based emotion-regulation vary as a function of anxiety, and in turn are associated with aggression. The present study, conducted with a sample of youth ages 7-13 (N=45), incorporated laboratory tasks and self- and caregiver-report questionnaires to assess the extent to which child anxiety, traumatic stress, CU, and their interactions, predict observed aggressive behavior toward other children and perceptions of others’ emotions while experimentally manipulating distress-cue salience. Exploratory analyses considered parasympathetic activity that may associate with observed relationships. Overall, results align with non-experimental research suggesting that CU is associated with greater aggression in the presence of anxiety (Fanti et al., 2013), and clarify that anxiety moderates the effect of CU on aggression, but only in the absence of distress cues from a potential victim. Results also hint that relationships between anxiety and parasympathetic responses to others’ distress may help explain anxiety-related heterogeneity in CU youths’ aggression. Findings suggest that children with CU and anxiety may benefit from emotional training to anticipate others’ distress and identify distress cues. In aggressive situations involving these youth, increasing others’ distress-cue salience may attenuate violence. Future research must further investigate emotional processing deficits, and their role in the development of aggression, among CU youth with anxiety.
15
Frost, Aaron Desmond James, and n/a. "The Reciprocal Relationship Between Conduct Problems, Callous Unemotional Traits, and Parenting Behaviour." Griffith University. School of Psychology, 2006. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20070109.094343.
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Callous and Unemotional (CU) traits are a relatively recent addition to the existing body of research examining the development of severe behavioural problems in children, and antisocial behaviour in adults. Children who are high in CU traits display shallow emotions, manipulate other children, lie easily, and demonstrate very little remorse or guilt. Additionally, they are more likely to engage in more severe forms of antisocial behaviour, more often, and from a younger age than their peers. Research has found that CU traits moderate the well-established relationship between parenting and conduct problems. That is, children who are high in CU traits seem to display levels of behaviour problems that are unrelated to the quality or type of parenting they receive. This has serious implications when one considers that the most effective psychosocial treatments available for behavioural disorders are based upon improving parenting, and would therefore require significant modification for children high in CU traits. In addition, the research exploring the moderating role of CU traits in the relationship between parenting and conduct problems has not taken a developmental perspective and considered different ages of children. Finally, existing research has not considered the reciprocal relationship that CU traits have upon parenting behaviour, or the direct relationship between parenting and CU traits. The present study has addressed these limitations by utilizing an accelerated longitudinal methodology. The present study recruited 449 grades one, three and five children from six public primary schools. Questionnaires assessing conduct problems, CU traits, and parenting styles were administered to their parents for completion. Additionally, teacher report was also sought on a number of key variables to ensure validity. One year later, all of these children and their families were re-approached to assess the extent to which each of these variables had changed over time. One year later 233 (51.89%) of the original sample completed the same measures allowing examination of the change in these variables over time. Given the relatively short time period, it was expected that one of the best predictors of any of the key variables at time 2, would be baseline scores measured at time 1. For this reason, hierarchical regression was used to control for temporal stability, as well as demographic factors. Additionally, the hypothesis that a different pattern of relationships would emerge for children of different ages was tested by examining the moderating effect of age upon all predictive relationships. This was done by entering the product of age and the predictor variable(s) as the final step of the regression analyses, and then conducting simple slopes analysis on all significant predictive interactions. Three distinct findings emerged from these analyses. Firstly, age moderates the effect of CU traits on the relationship between parenting styles and conduct problems. Behaviour problems in younger children are better predicted by parenting behaviours and by CU traits than in older children. Secondly, both CU traits and conduct problems were predictive of worsening parental behaviour. Once again, this was particularly evident in younger children. Finally, inconsistent parenting, and corporal punishment were found to be predictive of CU traits. These findings are discussed from a developmental perspective in the context of Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological model.
16
Wright, N. J. "Callous-unemotional traits in early childhood : developmental pathways and translation to aggression." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 2017. http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3019509/.
Full textAbstract:
Callous-unemotional (CU) traits have proved to be a robust and informative construct; identifying a subgroup of children with conduct problems who show more severe and persistent antisocial behaviour. The majority of this work has focused on mid to late childhood and adolescent samples, yet the study of CU traits in early childhood allows identification of developmental pathways to CU traits and may inform the development of preventative interventions. The three empirical studies included in this doctoral thesis use a longitudinal epidemiological sample (Wirral Child Health and Development Study; WCHADS) followed from pregnancy up to age 7 years to examine important questions regarding: 1) the measurement of CU traits in early childhood 2) the contribution of the early parenting relationship to child CU traits; specifically maternal sensitivity to infant distress, with possible mediation by child attachment status, and 3) a candidate sex dependant mechanism for the translation of CU traits into physical aggressive from early to mid-childhood. The first study uses the extensive sample of consecutively recruited first time mothers and the second two studies focus on a subsample stratified by psychosocial risk. The aim of the first study (Chapter 2; n = 775) was to adapt a CU traits measure for use with preschool children. The CU measure derived showed acceptable psychometric properties, factorial invariance by sex and good stability to 5 years. Validity was supported by cross-sectional associations with physical aggression for both boys and girls and incremental prediction to aggression at age 5 in girls only. The second study (Chapter 3; n = 272) examined the longitudinal contribution of maternal parenting behaviours (sensitivity to distress and to non-distress, positive regard, intrusiveness) at 7 months and attachment status at 14 months to child CU traits assessed from age 2.5 to 5 years. Latent variable modelling yielded a single parenting factor which, in line with predictions, significantly predicted reduced CU traits. The effect was mainly explained by sensitivity to infant distress and positive regard towards the infant. These two indicators evidenced a significant interaction, such that the combination of low positive regard and low sensitivity to distress predicted increased child CU traits. Neither attachment security nor disorganization predicted CU traits, so there was no evidence for mediation by attachment status. The final study (Chapter 4; n = 276) examined a hypothesised sex-specific mechanism for the translation of CU traits to aggression via HPA –axis reactivity to stress. Age 5 cortisol reactivity was found to significantly moderate the association between age 5 CU traits and age 7 teacher and mother reported aggression, evidenced by a significant 3-way interaction with sex. There was a significant two-way interaction in boys, such that higher CU traits and lower cortisol reactivity predicted increased physical aggression. Overall, this thesis provides support for the valid measurement of CU traits over the early preschool period. Sensitivity to infant distress, alongside positive regard/warmth, predicted reduced CU traits suggesting that early interventions might also focus on enhancing maternal responsiveness to distress. Findings supported the role of cortisol reactivity to social stress in the translation of CU traits to aggression and critically this was sex specific.
17
Myers, Tina D. Wall. "Examination of the Successful Psychopathy Conceptualization in Youth with Callous-Unemotional Traits." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2016. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2264.
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Although research has demonstrated that some adults with psychopathic traits show better executive functioning and higher intelligence that make them “successful”, there has been very minimal research testing whether similar distinctions can be made in samples of youth with elevated CU traits. Utilizing a sample of 1216 male adolescent first-time offenders, the current study examined whether executive functioning, intelligence and/or impulse control would moderate the relationship between CU traits and antisocial outcomes. The current study also examined whether CU traits were more strongly associated with a number of positive adjustment indicators at higher levels of the moderators. Results did not support successful psychopathy conceptualizations for youth with CU traits. Unlike findings in adult psychopathy research, adolescents high on CU traits who were also of higher intelligence engaged in more aggressive acts. The current findings also indicated that none of the proposed moderators influenced the relationship between CU traits and the positive adjustment indicators.
18
Frost, Aaron Desmond James. "The Reciprocal Relationship Between Conduct Problems, Callous Unemotional Traits, and Parenting Behaviour." Thesis, Griffith University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365583.
Full textAbstract:
Callous and Unemotional (CU) traits are a relatively recent addition to the existing body of research examining the development of severe behavioural problems in children, and antisocial behaviour in adults. Children who are high in CU traits display shallow emotions, manipulate other children, lie easily, and demonstrate very little remorse or guilt. Additionally, they are more likely to engage in more severe forms of antisocial behaviour, more often, and from a younger age than their peers. Research has found that CU traits moderate the well-established relationship between parenting and conduct problems. That is, children who are high in CU traits seem to display levels of behaviour problems that are unrelated to the quality or type of parenting they receive. This has serious implications when one considers that the most effective psychosocial treatments available for behavioural disorders are based upon improving parenting, and would therefore require significant modification for children high in CU traits. In addition, the research exploring the moderating role of CU traits in the relationship between parenting and conduct problems has not taken a developmental perspective and considered different ages of children. Finally, existing research has not considered the reciprocal relationship that CU traits have upon parenting behaviour, or the direct relationship between parenting and CU traits. The present study has addressed these limitations by utilizing an accelerated longitudinal methodology. The present study recruited 449 grades one, three and five children from six public primary schools. Questionnaires assessing conduct problems, CU traits, and parenting styles were administered to their parents for completion. Additionally, teacher report was also sought on a number of key variables to ensure validity. One year later, all of these children and their families were re-approached to assess the extent to which each of these variables had changed over time. One year later 233 (51.89%) of the original sample completed the same measures allowing examination of the change in these variables over time. Given the relatively short time period, it was expected that one of the best predictors of any of the key variables at time 2, would be baseline scores measured at time 1. For this reason, hierarchical regression was used to control for temporal stability, as well as demographic factors. Additionally, the hypothesis that a different pattern of relationships would emerge for children of different ages was tested by examining the moderating effect of age upon all predictive relationships. This was done by entering the product of age and the predictor variable(s) as the final step of the regression analyses, and then conducting simple slopes analysis on all significant predictive interactions. Three distinct findings emerged from these analyses. Firstly, age moderates the effect of CU traits on the relationship between parenting styles and conduct problems. Behaviour problems in younger children are better predicted by parenting behaviours and by CU traits than in older children. Secondly, both CU traits and conduct problems were predictive of worsening parental behaviour. Once again, this was particularly evident in younger children. Finally, inconsistent parenting, and corporal punishment were found to be predictive of CU traits. These findings are discussed from a developmental perspective in the context of Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological model.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Psychology
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Moore, Ashlee A. "A GENETICALLY INFORMED STUDY OF ACUTE THREAT ENDOPHENOTYPES FOR CALLOUS-UNEMOTIONAL TRAITS." VCU Scholars Compass, 2019. https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/5793.
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Introduction. Callous-unemotional (CU) traits predict socially debilitating outcomes including Antisocial Personality Disorder and violent crime in adulthood. Despite significant research, the etiology of CU traits is not well understood. This dissertation incorporates genetic, physiological, neuroanatomical, and self-report measures to investigate the etiology of CU traits. Specifically, this project focuses on measures previously found to associate with impaired fear-processing observed in individuals high on CU. Brain morphometry for paralimbic regions of interest (ROIs) and electromyographic facial eyeblink reflex to startle and fear-potentiated startle probes were investigated as potential endophenotypes for CU traits. Methods. Two genetically informative (ages 9-20) twin samples (N=1696 individuals; 848 twin pairs) were used to estimate the changing heritable and environmental influences on CU over the age range of 9-20 using age-moderated biometric structural equation modeling (SEM). To determine potential endophenotypes, shared genetic variance with CU was examined for baseline and fear-potentiated startle reflex and morphometric measures of brain ROIs. Results. The heritability of CU increases over the ages of 9-20, from approximately 34% at age 9 to 47% at age 20. Therefore, environmental mechanisms for CU are most influential at younger ages. Although there were no significant associations after correction for multiple testing, there was some evidence to suggest potential positive associations between CU traits and baseline and fear-potentiated startle in younger (9-14) females. There was also evidence suggesting potential negative associations between CU traits and right anterior cingulate cortex thickness as well as right posterior cingulate cortex thickness in females only. There was no genetic covariance between CU and any of the examined physiological or neuroanatomical phenotypes. Discussion. These results suggest that middle childhood may be the most salient time for environmental interventions associated with preventing or ameliorating CU traits. Furthermore, these results suggest that the cingulate cortex may play a role in the development of CU traits, possibly in females specifically. The cingulate cortex may influence CU traits through its roles in emotional processing, learning, and memory. Larger samples will likely be needed to determine the genetic relationship between CU traits and the structural development of the cingulate cortex.
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Cline, Jessie Irit. "Autonomic Nervous System Functioning and Callous-Unemotional Traits in Childhood-Onset Conduct Disorder." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2013. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/216568.
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PsychologyPh.D.
Although the current literature demonstrates relations between autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning and conduct disorder (CD), there are inconsistencies across studies in the magnitude and direction of these associations, some of which may stem from heterogeneity within the CD diagnostic category. Considering callous-unemotional (CU) traits in research examining ANS functioning and CD relations could help to clarify these inconsistencies, given that CU traits identify a subgroup of youth with CD who exhibit a more severe and persistent course, as well as more negative correlates and sequelae than youth with CD without CU traits. However, there is a dearth of literature considering ANS processes among youth with CD with and without CU traits. Examining these relations, particularly during middle childhood when these processes may be amenable to intervention, has important implications for etiological, prevention, and intervention models. The present study examined relations among CD, CU, and ANS functioning among a sample of ethnic minority, urban children (N= 99, M= 9.87± 1.19 years old; 48.5% male; 94.9% African-American, 3% Latino/a). Specifically, I examined whether CU traits moderated the relations between CD and (a) parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) functioning and (b) sympathetic nervous system (SNS) functioning. In addition, I examined whether parenting behaviors (i.e., harsh parental discipline and parental warmth/involvement) influenced the relations between (a) CD and ANS functioning, and (b) CU and ANS functioning. Findings demonstrated that PNS functioning differed among children with high and low levels of CD symptoms depending on levels of CU traits. Within the current sample, among children with higher levels of CD symptoms, those with (a) higher CU symptom severity exhibited lower baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and lower RSA reactivity (PNS withdrawal), compared to those with (b) lower CU symptom severity who demonstrated higher baseline RSA and higher RSA reactivity (PNS activation). Among children with lower CD symptom severity, those with (a) higher CU symptom severity exhibited higher baseline RSA and higher RSA reactivity, compared to those with (b) lower CU symptom severity who evidenced lower baseline RSA and lower RSA reactivity. Neither harsh parental discipline nor parental warmth/involvement moderated the relations between (a) CD and ANS functioning and (b) CU and ANS functioning. However, there were marginally significant associations between baseline RSA and (a) harsh parental discipline and (b) parental warmth/involvement, as well as between RSA reactivity and parental warmth/involvement in analyses examining CD, parenting, and ANS functioning. Furthermore, parental warmth/involvement tended to be associated with RSA reactivity in the analyses examining CU, parenting, and ANS functioning. Results have implications for facilitating the identification of children at risk for developing more pernicious subtypes of behavior problems, and contribute important information for the development of more individualized and potentially effective interventions for youth behavior problems, particularly among high-risk youth.
Temple University--Theses
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Peet, Casie L. "Teacher Perceptions of Students with Conduct Problems With and Without Callous Unemotional Traits." Scholar Commons, 2018. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7559.
Full textAbstract:
Conduct problems describe behaviors that violate either age-appropriate societal norms or the rights of others. They include: physical or verbal aggression, theft, lying, arguing with authority, defiance, violation of rules, property destruction, fire setting, and truancy. Among youth with conduct problems, a subset display features known as callous-unemotional (CU) traits. CU traits, or interpersonal callousness, are exemplified in behaviors such as: (a) absence of remorse or guilt, (b) lack of empathy and, (c) callous use of others for personal gain (Frick & White, 2008). This study aims to fill the gap of examining these students in schools and which practices are currently being used to manage these students’ behaviors. Because students with callous unemotional traits are typically the students exhibiting the most extreme and aggressive forms of conduct problems, there is a need to discover effective ways to manage their behavior in order to maintain a safe and effective learning environment for all students. In this study, vignettes were used to make comparisons between youth with and without CU traits in the following areas: (RQ1) teachers’ attributive perceptions of conduct problems (i.e., Why do they think the child behaves this way?), (RQ2) teachers’ self-efficacy in addressing conduct problems in the classroom, (RQ3) the most appropriate educational setting for students with conduct problems, (RQ4) the type of behavior management strategies believed to be most effective, and (RQ5) the expected trajectory of the student. Teachers were most likely to attribute problem behavior of all students to home and within child factors but they were somewhat more likely to attribute home factors to the students with CU traits. Teachers additionally feel overall less efficacious in working with students with CU traits, had lower expectations of success, and were more likely to recommend ongoing home-school collaboration. Participants in this study showed overwhelming support for the fact that reinforcing interventions are more effective than punitive interventions and knowledge of a wide range of interventions. The discussion describes suggestions for future training to increase teacher competency in working with students with conduct problems in the general education setting.
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Fisher, Carri Ann. "Adverse Experiences, Quality of Caregiving, and Callous-Unemotional Traits Among Children with Conduct Problems." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2021. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/24656.
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Support for developmental pathways to CU traits characterised by exposure to adversity has increased considerably in recent years. There is also evidence that quality of parenting, including parental mind-mindedness, may mitigate the impact of adversity on such traits. This thesis examined associations between adversity, parenting, and childhood CU traits. Study 1 is a systematic review with meta-analysis, which examined associations between maltreatment and childhood CU traits. Findings support distinct pathways to CU traits based on exposure to maltreatment. Maltreatment subtype was found to moderate the association, with largest effect sizes observed for neglect. Study 2 examined whether meaningful heterogeneity could be identified in early childhood, based on CU traits and adverse experiences. Using model-based cluster analysis, the best fit model identified two profiles differentiated on all variables except CU traits, suggesting adversity may be a more important marker of heterogeneity in this population. Study 3 examined parental warmth, responsiveness and mind-mindedness as moderators of the association between adversity and CU traits. Parenting variables, coded from direct observations of clinic-referred families, generally did not moderate associations between adversity and CU traits. Direct associations between fathers parenting and child CU traits were apparent. Study 4 examined domains of parenting (positive/negative parenting, parental mind-mindedness) to determine unique associations with conduct problems and CU traits. Accounting for the variance explained by positive and negative parenting, parents’ mental state attributions did not predict conduct problems and CU traits. Overall, findings support theories emphasising psychosocial risk factors in the development of CU traits. Support for parent mind-mindedness as a proximal risk factor for CU traits was limited. Parenting was generally not found to moderate associations between adversity and CU traits.
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Duke, Nikki L. Swerdlik Mark E. Hesson-McInnis Matthew S. "Social problem-solving among incarcerated children with and without high callous and unemotional traits." Normal, Ill. : Illinois State University, 2006. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=1221717301&SrchMode=1&sid=6&Fmt=2&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1177271755&clientId=43838.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2006.Title from title page screen, viewed on April 22, 2007. Dissertation Committee: Mark Swerdlik, Matthew Hesson-McInnis (co-chairs), Adena Meyers, Kathryn Hoff, Raymond Redick. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-113) and abstract. Also available in print.
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Kimonis, Eva. "The Association between Callous-Unemotional Traits and Emotional Processing Within Individuals and Across Generations." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2003. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/32.
Full textAbstract:
There is evidence to suggest that an impaired ability to process distressing and threatening emotional stimuli may result in a callous-unemotional (CU) and thrill-andadventure- seeking (TAS) personality. In this study we examined emotional processing in fifty community children, each with one parent, using the emotional pictures dot-probe task, which is a computerized task measuring attention to emotional pictures in the form of a facilitation score. The relationship between emotional processing, CU traits, and TAS were examined to determine whether individuals high on CU traits would also be more TAS, and show a lack of facilitation to emotional pictures. The results generally did not support study hypotheses; however, post-hoc analyses comparing children based on ethnicity found that Caucasian and minority children with CU traits show different and often opposite affective responses to emotional pictures, as well as different behavioral correlates to these traits.
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Delk, Lauren Annabel. "Mechanisms of Empathic Behavior in Children with Callous-Unemotional Traits: Eye Gaze and Emotion Recognition." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/78050.
Full textAbstract:
The presence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits (e.g., shallow affect, lack of empathy) in children predicts reduced prosocial behavior. Similarly, CU traits relate to emotion recognition deficits, which may be related to deficits in visual attention to the eye region of others. Notably, recognition of others' distress necessarily precedes sympathy, and sympathy is a key predictor in prosocial outcomes. Thus, visual attention and emotion recognition may mediate the relationship between CU traits and deficient prosocial behavior. Elucidating these connections furthers the development of treatment protocols for children with behavioral problems and CU traits. This study seeks to: (1) extend this research to younger children, including girls; (2) measure eye gaze using infrared eye-tracking technology; and (3) test the hypothesis that CU traits are linked to prosocial behavior deficits via reduced eye gaze, which in turn leads to deficits in fear recognition. Children (n = 81, ages 6-9) completed a computerized, eye-tracked emotion recognition task and a standardized prosocial behavior task while parents reported on the children's CU traits. Results partially supported hypotheses, in that CU traits predicted less time focusing on the eye region for fear expressions, and certain dimensions of eye gaze predicted accuracy in recognizing some emotions. However, the full model was not supported for fear or distress expressions. Conversely, there was some evidence that the link between CU traits and deficient prosocial behavior is mediated by reduced recognition for low intensity happy expressions, but only in girls. Theoretical and practical implications for these findings are considered.Master of Science
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Kahn, Rachel E. "Affective and Cognitive Empathy Deficits Distinguish Primary and Secondary Variants of Callous-Unemotional Youth." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2014. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1878.
Full textAbstract:
The current study examined whether a sample of detained male adolescents (n = 107; Mean age = 15.50; SD = 1.30) could be disaggregated into two distinct groups, consistent with past research on primary and secondary variants of callous-unemotional (CU) traits in adolescents. This study also sought to determine a possible explanation for the CU traits among youth in the secondary variant by examining whether they differ from primary variants on measures of cognitive and affective empathy. Using Latent Profile Analyses, two groups of adolescents high on CU traits were identified, a large group (n = 30) high on CU traits but low on anxiety (primary) and a smaller group high on both CU traits and anxiety (n = 10; secondary). Using self-report and computerized measures of affective (e.g., emotional reactivity) and cognitive empathy (e.g., affective facial recognition and theory of mind (ToM)), results revealed that the secondary variant demonstrated the lowest levels of cognitive empathy. In contrast, the primary variant demonstrated the lowest levels of self-report affective empathy, but these levels were not significantly different from the secondary variant. Multiple regression analyses testing the association among measures of empathy, CU traits, and anxiety produced a mostly consistent pattern of results. One exception was the finding of an interaction between CU traits and anxiety in the prediction of fear recognition accuracy that indicated that CU traits were positively associated with accuracy in recognizing fearful facial expressions when anxiety was low. The current study builds upon previous work examining primary and secondary variants of CU traits by suggesting that both primary and secondary variants may exhibit similar deficits in affective empathy, but that secondary variants may also exhibit deficits in cognitive empathy and perspective-taking that are not present in primary variants.
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Golmaryami, Farrah N. "The Association between Conduct Problems and Bullying for Youth with and without Callous-Unemotional Traits." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2013. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1691.
Full textAbstract:
The current study aims to examine whether the association between conduct problems and bullying are accounted for by different factors in those with and without callous-unemotional (CU) traits. Participants included 284 students in the 4th through 7th grades. Results indicated that conduct problems and bullying were significantly correlated, and that this association was not moderated by CU traits. Moreover, anger dysregulation, and to some extent, victimization, were more strongly associated with conduct problems in those with lower levels of CU traits. Furthermore, conduct problems were more strongly related to attitudes towards bullying for those lower on CU traits than for those higher on CU traits. Finally, anger dysregulation, victimization, perceived peer support, and attitudes towards bullying did not account for the association between conduct problems and bullying.
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Northam, Jaimie. "More than a feeling? A Multidimensional Study of Emotionality in Children with Callous-Unemotional Traits." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2020. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/21747.
Full textAbstract:
Children with conduct problems and high callousunemotional (CP+CU) traits have unique affective profiles when compared to children with conduct problems and low callousunemotional traits (CP–CU; Frick et al, 2014). Those with CP+CU traits show impaired emotion processing, demonstrating deficits in the recognition and orientation to emotional cues, and consequentially limited emotional responsiveness (ER; Fanti, 2018). Reduced ER may affect key emotional learning processes, including the development of prosocial behaviours (Fowles & Kochanska, 2000). However, evidence of these effects is mixed and further research incorporating multi-method indices of ER is needed. This thesis is focused on expanding knowledge in this area. First, a systematic review outlines the importance of incorporating multiple measures of ER. Second, a replication and expansion on a study by Dadds et al. (2016) is presented. Differences between groups of children aged 28 years with CP+CU traits (n = 36), CP–CU traits (n = 82) and a community sample (n = 27) were explored in response to an attachment-related emotional stimulus (video excerpt from Disney’s The Lion King). Emotion-processing components measured included attention, ER (physiological, behavioural and self-report), emotion-motivated behaviour, emotional comprehension and quality of parentchild debriefing. Results from this thesis are provocative. Children with CP+CU traits demonstrated similar emotional responsiveness and comprehension as children with CP–CU traits and a community sample. Findings were not attributable to variances in attention. These results provide evidence that the problematic behaviours consistently demonstrated by children with CP+CU traits are attributable to ‘more than a feeling’. These findings have potential implications for how CU traits in early childhood are identified and may inform the development of more effective interventions.
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Robertson, L. "Callous-unemotional traits and rejection-sensitivity in relation to subtypes of aggression in adolescent offenders." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.625407.
Full textAbstract:
Volume One of this D.Clin.Psy thesis is a research project investigating rejection-sensitivity and callous-unemotional traits in relation to subtypes of aggression and offending in adolescent offenders. The study was designed to advance the current findings in the area. The volume is divided into three parts. Part One is a literature review examining whether it is possible to apply the construct of psychopathy to youth. Part Two is an empirical paper which outlines the literature relating to aggression and offending in young people, including an exploration of factors thought to underlie these behaviours, including rejection-sensitivity and callous-unemotional traits. The study explored the hypotheses that rejection-sensitivity and callous-unemotional traits would differentially predict subtypes of aggression and offending behaviour. The results are discussed in relation to previous findings. The paper closes with a discussion of the study in terms of limitations, the clinical implications and directions for future research. Part three is a critical appraisal of the research process. It outlines how the area of study came to be selected and includes reflections on the wider research process. The clinical implications arising from the study are discussed in more detail. Some consideration is given throughout to the narratives that society holds about young people who offend and how these narratives might influence our ideas about how best to intervene.
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Hitti, Stephanie A. "Longitudinal Bidirectional Relations Between Subtypes of Anxiety and Callous-Unemotional Traits in Early- to Mid-Adolescence." VCU Scholars Compass, 2017. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/5091.
Full textAbstract:
Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits are characterized by limited empathy, lack of guilt or remorse, and callous use of others. They are a risk factor for adult psychopathy, especially when comorbid with conduct problems. Thus, efforts to identify risk factors and consequences of CU traits have been prominent. One construct that may act as both a risk factor for and consequence of CU traits among youth is anxiety. While the most consistent finding is in this literature is a negative relation between CU traits and anxiety, findings have been mixed. The present study examined bidirectional relations between three subtypes of anxiety (i.e. physiological anxiety, fear and concentration problems, and worry and oversensitivity), CU traits, and conduct problems over six months among a sample of primarily African American middle school students. Results showed that CU traits at Time 1 were not associated with changes in physiological anxiety, fear and concentration problems, or worry and oversensitivity at Time 2. Similarly, physiological anxiety, fear and concentration problems, and worry and oversensitivity at Time 1 were not associated with increased CU traits at Time 2. Further, no longitudinal relations were found between CU traits and conduct problems. The six-month timeframe may have been too short to see changes in anxiety and CU traits given their stability. The models tested also did not take into account the impact of factors such as distress and trauma which may influence bidirectional relations between CU traits and anxiety.
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White, Stuart. "Examining the Influence of Callous-Unemotional Traits on Outcomes in an Evidence-based Treatment Program for Delinquent Adolescents." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2010. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1161.
Full textAbstract:
The current study was an investigation of the effectiveness of Functional Family Therapy (FFT) for improving the mental health, behavioral, and legal outcomes for justice-involved adolescents. A primary focus of the investigation was on whether Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits moderated the effects of treatment and whether therapists tailored the intervention to youths with these traits. The sample was 134 youths (15.34 years) who had been arrested and referred to a community mental health center for treatment by trained FFT therapists. Results indicated modest improvement over the course of treatment in the youths' emotional and behavioral functioning. CU traits were found to moderate treatment effects, wherein CU traits were associated with greater emotional and behavioral dysfunction prior to treatment, as well as greater improvement after treatment. However, CU traits also predicted greater self-reported, but not official reports, of delinquency at follow-up. Furthermore, results indicated some evidence for diverging treatment processes for youth with and without CU traits. Specifically, differences in response to changes in negative parenting varied between youth high and low on CU traits for some measures of emotional and behavioral functioning. Overall, FFT was found to be a promising treatment approach, but significant limitations in its effectiveness were also documented.
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Mendoza, Diaz Antonio. "Disorganised theories or disorganised attachments: An analysis of the divergence between attachment and psychopathology models explaining the early emergence of callous-unemotional traits." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/18565.
Full textAbstract:
Previous studies suggest children with callous-unemotional (CU) traits have a disorganised attachment, a notion that challenges two developmental frameworks, as the literature on children with CU traits places most of the aetiological burden on the child, whereas the attachment literature places most of this burden on the parent. First, the intergenerational transmission of CU traits was examined in a cross-sectional study with a sample of clinically-referred children. It investigated whether psychopathy in parents conferred risk specific to CU traits over and above general risk factors. Second, two psychometric tools were validated. The Interview on Critical Bonding Moments (ICBM), a retrospective assessment of parents’ state of mind during their child’s early development, and the Child Affective Behaviour (CAB) scale, which assesses children’s proximity-seeking, eye gaze, soothability and expression/reception of affect. Third, the relationships between CU traits and the ICBM and CAB were assessed using a Bayesian machine-learning algorithm to probe whether maternal negative affect during critical bonding experiences, and children’s affective responses, were associated with parental reports of CU traits. Fourth, longitudinal associations between markers from Study 3 and the development of CU traits when children were 4 were analysed using a sample of mother-child dyads assessed over a four-year period. Prior results were replicated, and the analysis found novel associations suggesting children’s dispositional characteristics are the main predictors of CU emergence. Child-driven effects were supported – consistent with the CU literature – as studies found strong associations between children’s affective behaviours and CU emergence. Assessments guided by an attachment framework accounted for smaller but significant effects, linking the perinatal period to the emergence of CU traits through associations with maternal fright during pregnancy and disinterest while feeding.
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Sandberg, Åsa Therese. "PARENTING INFLUENCING CHILD AND ADOLESCENT CU TRAITS : The Role of Parental Harshness and Parental Warmth in the Development of CallousUnemotional Traits in Children and Adolescents <18: A Systematic Review." Thesis, Örebro universitet, Institutionen för juridik, psykologi och socialt arbete, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-35883.
Full textAbstract:
The present review sought to clarify and synthesise the existing research of the role parental harshness and parental warmth have on children and adolescents with callous unemotional traits by comparing research across different study designs and study samples in a systematic review. The systematic review search rendered in 16 publications which revealed that callous unemotional traits moderate the relationship between parental harshness as well as parental warmth and behaviour problems in children and adolescents. The moderation effect was directed by the level of callous unemotional trait in the child or adolescent where those with low levels exhibited the most negative effects when exposed to parental harshness. Conversely, children or adolescents with elevated levels exhibited the most positive effects when being exposed to parental warmth. Furthermore, the review revealed that both forms of parenting predict changes in callous unemotional traits over time, where parental harshness increased traits and parental warmth decreased traits. These results are further discussed in relation to the contextual theories of Lykken’s parental competence and socialisation model as well as Kochanska’s conceptual model of conscience development.
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Lawing, Katie. "Differences in Offending Patterns between Adolescent Sex Offenders High or Low in Callous and Unemotional Traits." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2009. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/981.
Full textAbstract:
Adolescents commit nearly one-fifth of the sex crimes each year. Among those offenders exists a group of adolescent sex offenders with callous and unemotional (CU) traits who seem to show a more severe pattern of sexual offending. The current study attempts to test the importance of these traits by comparing adolescent sex offenders high or low on CU traits based on victim and offense characteristics, and offending history. A sample of 150 detained adolescents with a current sexual offense conviction were assessed through self-report, clinical interview, and file review. Results indicated that after controlling for a history of antisocial behaviors, the high CU group was more likely to have a greater number of victims, use more violence with victims, and engage in more offense planning than the low CU group. The high CU group was also more likely to offend against both strangers and family.
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Buckley, Vanessa. "Investigating the relationship between callous unemotional traits and emotional processes in adolescent females with conduct problems." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2013. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/investigating-the-relationship-between-callous-unemotional-traits-and-emotional-processes-in-adolescent-females-with-conduct-problems(3a66549c-e6ec-4626-b99a-3a5a81da568f).html.
Full textAbstract:
Background and Aims: There is a paucity of research investigating Callous Unemotional (CU) traits and emotional processing in females with conduct problems. The research that does exist has largely been conducted within a young, community dwelling age group. A number of these studies have suggested that adolescent girls with conduct problems present differently to both boys with conduct problems and girls without conduct problems on measures of CU traits and emotional processing. The current study therefore aimed to investigate the level of CU traits in a sample of adolescent females with conduct problems. In addition, the study aimed to measure a number of emotional processes (i.e. affective empathy, processing of emotional stimuli and emotional dysregulation) and investigate the relationship between these processes and CU traits. Finally, the study sought to clarify whether patterns observed in adolescent males with conduct problems are similar in adolescent females. Method: Seventy-four participants (mean age= 16.4) were recruited from youth offending teams and local schools into three experimental groups: females with conduct problems (n = 25), males with conduct problems (n = 24) and control females (n = 21). Participants were asked to complete self-report questionnaires about affective empathy, CU traits and emotional dysregulation. They were also asked to complete a computerised lexical decision task. Results: As predicted, females with conduct problems presented with a different pattern of emotional processing when compared to boys with conduct problems as shown by higher levels of affective empathy and emotional dysregulation but lower levels of CU traits. Whilst CU traits were associated with a deficit in cognitive and affective empathy in boys, CU traits were not associated with a deficit in affective empathy in girls. This relationship also did not differ depending on the level of emotional dysregulation reported by the young person. Finally, boys with conduct problems showed a deficit in attentional facilitation to emotional words whilst girls with conduct problems did not. When comparing females with conduct problems to control girls, they scored higher on a measure of CU traits and emotional dysregulation but lower on a measure of affective empathy. Affective empathy was not associated with CU traits in either female sample, and there was no difference in the level of attentional facilitation to emotional words between the control girls and conduct problem girls. Conclusions: Overall, our findings suggest that adolescent females with conduct problems and CU traits present differently to both their male counterparts and to control girls. These results have implications for future research and are potentially clinically relevant.
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Fassnacht, Gregory. "Exploring the Moderating Effects of CU traits on the Relationship Between Social Intelligence and Aggression." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2010. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1186.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the potential moderating effects of CU traits on the relationship between self-reported social intelligence and aggression in a community sample of boys and girls (ages 14-18). Four subtypes of aggression were measured: reactive overt, reactive relational, proactive overt, and proactive relational. Results indicated that there was not a significant association between social intelligence and any of the aggression subtypes. Neither CU traits nor empathy moderated the association between social intelligence and any of the four subtypes of aggression. Supplementary analyses were conducted to investigate whether level and type of aggression was related to levels of social intelligence and CU traits (or an interaction between the two). Results indicated that at high levels of CU traits, youth exhibited significantly higher levels of proactive overt and reactive overt aggression (t(113.06) than at low levels of CU traits.
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McCabe, Kym M. "The Effects of Yoga on Symptoms Associated with Conduct Disorder with Callous Unemotional Traits as a Moderator." Scholarly Repository, 2009. http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_dissertations/327.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this research was to investigate the additive therapeutic effects of a yoga intervention on the anxiety, depression and behavioral problems of conduct-disordered male adolescents in residential treatment. In addition, the moderating effects of callous-unemotional (CU) traits on outcome measures were assessed. The program consisted of a four-week intervention program in which participants were randomly assigned to either the yoga group (n=25), in which they practiced yoga with an instructor, or the control group (n=19), in which they met for a supervised study hall. The study included pre-testing on symptoms of anxiety, depression and CU traits, and post-testing on anxiety and depression measures only. Behavioral data were unavailable due to unanticipated program changes. A repeated measures MANOVA was utilized to investigate the benefits of yoga practice on a combined mental health variable that consisted of two dependent variables, anxiety and depression. A significant effect for time, but not for the interaction between time and group, was found. This indicated that both groups' scores decreased over time on the depression and anxiety variables, but that there was no statistically significant difference between the treatment groups' depression and anxiety scores over time. In spite of non-significant results, additional exploratory analysis was conducted. Results indicated a trend towards significantly greater decreases in anxiety outcomes for the yoga group vs. the control group over time. The moderating effects of CU traits on the relationships among the treatment conditions and anxiety outcomes were found to be non-significant. Limitations of the present research, including low sample size and statistical power, are discussed.
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Kuay, Hue San. "Understanding adolescents' aggression towards parents : a study on the role of callous-unemotional traits in predicting aggression." Thesis, Durham University, 2018. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/12560/.
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This thesis explores an under researched area of adolescents’ aggression towards parents. Chapter One includes the literature on child-to-parent aggression and a new model is proposed to explain these incidences. Chapter Two draws on data from two clinical audits to provide an overview of the prevalence of aggression within the family perpetrated by adolescents from a clinical (n=60) and forensic (n=60) samples of those referred to a mental health service. The results indicated parents as the main adult victims of child aggression. The forensic sample used physical aggression more than verbal aggression. Smaller numbers of aggression were recorded for the clinical sample. Chapter Three examines whether Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits may relate to special school adolescents’ (n=48) tendency to perpetrate aggression towards parents and peers. Adolescents with elevated CU traits tend to perpetrate aggression indiscriminately towards parents and peers compared to their low CU peers. Chapter Four included a small sample from the general population (n=60), exploring the potential risk factors of child-to-parent aggression, taking into account the levels of CU traits. Stressful life events increase the manifestation of CU traits in adolescents, consequently increasing their aggression towards both parents. Adolescents with high CU traits show goal-oriented motivation which tends to be related to aggression towards mother. At low level of these traits, aggression towards mother was more impulsive. Chapter Five outlined the findings from qualitative interviews with parents of adolescents from a forensic mental health service. The sample (n=5) was categorised according to the level of prosocial emotions of the young perpetrators. Thematic analyses were conducted on the transcripts and four themes emerged and were developed. Across all studies, the young perpetrators who scored higher on CU traits perpetrated physical more than verbal aggression towards both parents and peers. Thus, they are what may be termed as ‘generalist aggressors’.
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Bansal, Pevitr Singh. "EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF CALLOUS-UNEMOTIONAL TRAITS IN PRESCHOOL: A COMPARISON OF CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS AND NETWORK ANALYSIS." UKnowledge, 2019. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/psychology_etds/153.
Full textAbstract:
Callous – unemotional (CU) traits are a key factor in understanding the persistence and severity of conduct problems. The factor structure of CU traits has been primarily examined through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in childhood and adolescent samples, yet little research has examined the structure of CU traits in preschool. Further, current CFA models have yielded poor – to – marginally acceptable fit, suggesting the need for a more nuanced approach in understanding the structure of CU traits in early childhood using an interitem approach (i.e., network analysis). Within a sample of 109 preschool children (M age = 4.77, SD = 1.10), CFA results supported a two – factor structure of the ICU, comprised of “callous” and “uncaring” factors. Results of the network analysis identified seems cold and uncaring as most central to the CU network. Results from the CFA demonstrated that CU traits can be assessed in preschool children using 12 of the original 24 items from the ICU, which is consistent with a small portion of research. Further, results of the network analysis suggested that seems cold and uncaring may be useful in screening for psychopathic traits in preschool children. Clinical implications, including ICU measure refinement, are explored.
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Lau, Katherine S. L. "Exploring Narcissism, Psychopathy, and Machiavellianism in Youth: An Examination of Associations with Antisocial Behavior and Aggression." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2010. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1253.
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This study sought to explore the differential associations of CU traits, narcissistic traits, and Machiavellian traits with overt aggression, relational aggression, delinquency, behavioral dysregulation, and emotional dysregulation in a community sample of boys and girls (ages 11-17). Results indicated that the three personality traits were significantly correlated with each other, yet distinct. CU traits, narcissistic traits, and Machiavellian traits demonstrated different unique associations with behavior problems. Specifically, narcissistic traits showed the strongest unique associations with overt aggression, relational aggression, behavioral dysregulation, and emotional dysregulation. CU traits showed the second strongest unique associations with overt aggression, delinquency and behavioral dysregulation, but were not associated with relational aggression or emotional dysregulation. Lastly, Machiavellian traits showed a strong unique association with emotional dysregulation, but were not uniquely associated with externalizing behavior problems. These findings have implications for intervention with aggressive and antisocial youth.
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Merz, Sabine Psychology Faculty of Science UNSW. "Face emotion recognition in children and adolescents; effects of puberty and callous unemotional traits in a community sample." Publisher:University of New South Wales. Psychology, 2008. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/41247.
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Previous research suggests that as well as behavioural difficulties, a small subset of aggressive and antisocial children show callous unemotional (CU) personality traits (i.e., lack of remorse and absence of empathy) that set them apart from their low-CU peers. These children have been identified as being most at risk to follow a path of severe and persistent antisocial behaviour, showing distinct behavioural patterns, and have been found to respond less to traditional treatment programs. One particular focus of this thesis is that emerging findings have shown emotion recognition deficits within both groups. Whereas children who only show behavioural difficulties (in the absence of CU traits) have been found to misclassify vague and neutral expressions as anger, the presence of CU traits has been associated with an inability to correctly identify fear and to a lesser extend, sadness. Furthermore, emotion recognition competence varies with age and development. In general, emotion recognition improves with age, but interestingly there is some evidence that it may become less efficient during puberty. No research could be located, however, that assessed emotion recognition through childhood and adolescence for children high and low on CU traits and antisocial behaviour. The primary focus of this study was to investigate the impact of these personality traits and pubertal development on emotion recognition competence in isolation and in combination. A specific aim was to assess if puberty would exacerbate these deficits in children with pre-existing deficits in emotion recognition. The effect of gender, emotion type and measure characteristics, in particular the age of the target face, was also examined. A community sample of 703 children and adolescents aged 7-17 were administered the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire to assess adjustment, the Antisocial Process Screening Device to assess antisocial traits, and the Pubertal Development Scale was administered to evaluate pubertal stage. Empathy was assessed using the Bryant Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents. Parents or caregivers completed parent version of these measures for their children. Emotion recognition ability was measured using the newly developed UNSW FACES task (Dadds, Hawes & Merz, 2004). Description of the development and validation of this measure are included. Contrary to expectations, emotion recognition accuracy was not negatively affected by puberty. In addition, no overall differences in emotion recognition ability were found due to participants gender or target face age group characteristics. The hypothesis that participants would be better at recognising emotions expressed by their own age group was therefore not supported. In line with expectations, significant negative associations between CU traits and fear recognition were found. However, these were small, and contrary to expectations, were found for girls rather than boys. Also, puberty did not exacerbate emotion recognition deficits in high CU children. However, the relationship between CU traits and emotion recognition was affected differently by pubertal status. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to future research into emotion recognition deficits within this population. In addition, theoretical and practical implications of these findings for the development of antisocial behaviour and the treatment of children showing CU traits are explored.
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Smith, Laura. "Investigating the differential role of mood and callous-unemotional traits on cognitive and affective processing in antisocial adolescents." Thesis, King's College London (University of London), 2014. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/investigating-the-differential-role-of-mood-and-callousunemotional-traits-on-cognitive-and-affective-processing-in-antisocial-adolescents(2e4c2cfd-6289-4d0e-8ab2-70bce155742f).html.
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Thornton, Laura C. "The Predictive Utility of Emotional Deficits and Callous-Unemotional traits for Important Antisocial Outcomes in Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2015. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2039.
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The current study investigated the predictive utility of callous-unemotional (CU) traits and emotional facilitation to distress (EFD) for multiple antisocial outcomes in a sample of juvenile justice-involved males. Although CU traits and EFD did not generally interact to predict antisocial outcomes, CU traits were a consistent predictor of total, proactive, and reactive forms of aggression over 18 months. Similarly, CU traits and time interacted to predict total and violent self-reported offending, such that CU traits were positively associated with both outcomes, but this association weakened over the 18 month timeframe. Racial and ethnic differences only emerged for the prediction of days to any arrest or a violent arrest. Specifically, different factors appear to be important of the prediction of any arrest across racial/ethnic groups, whereas being Black was associated with fewer days to arrest, despite self-reporting similar levels of violent offending. Last, a joint trajectory model for CU traits and EFD was not estimated due to a lack of stability in EFD. However, the majority of the sample exhibited average or increasing levels of CU traits over the 18 month timeframe, highlighting the importance of examining not only the factors that can result in CU traits, but also the factors that can lead to increases in CU traits over time in justice-involved youth.
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Simpson, Tiffany P. "Factors Predicting Therapeutic Alliance in Antisocial Adolescents." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2008. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/858.
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Therapeutic alliance is a robust predictor of future therapeutic outcomes. While treatment of normal children and adolescents is often hard, treating antisocial youth is especially difficult because of the social, cognitive, and emotional deficits experienced by these youth. This study investigated whether differing levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits influenced the formation of therapeutic alliance in a sample of 51 adjudicated youth in juvenile institutions. Also, we tested whether therapeutic alliance influenced success in the institution and whether this association differed based on levels of CU traits. Results revealed that CU traits and selfreported delinquency were both modestly related to institutional infractions. Children low on both dimensions showed the lowest levels of institutional infractions. Additionally, these findings suggest that children high on both CU traits and delinquency reported better therapeutic alliance, but that youth with high CU traits committed more institutional infractions, despite their level of therapeutic alliance.
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Kimonis, Eva. "Developmental pathways to psychopathic traits in Caucasian and African American juvenile offenders." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2005. http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/u?/NOD,277.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of New Orleans, 2005.Title from electronic submission form. "A dissertation ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Developmental Psychology"--Dissertation t.p. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.
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Fido, D. "Electrophysiological indices of the violence inhibition mechanism and their associations with physical agression, callous-unemotional traits, and dietary omega-3." Thesis, Nottingham Trent University, 2015. http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28028/.
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Each year, aggressive behaviour contributes to a substantial number of criminal offenses - resulting in severe personal, social, and financial ramifications. As such, there is importance for understanding the underlying mechanisms of aggression and how it might best be managed. The violence inhibition mechanism, thought to be dysfunctional in individuals characterised by aggressive behaviour and associated callous-unemotional traits, is used to explain how the perception of facial distress might inhibit an ongoing aggressive act. Despite a sizeable literature characterising the violence inhibition mechanism, to date, empirical research has overlooked this investigation on an electrophysiological level. This thesis developed a novel facial-affect stopping task in order to tease apart the distinct stages of face processing and distress-induced motor extinction using electroencephalography. Results suggested that whilst callous-unemotional traits, specifically uncaring traits, were associated with electrophysiological indices of structural/featural face processing (N170, P200), aggressive traits, specifically physical aggression, were associated with electrophysiological indices of distressinduced motor extinction (stop-N200, stop-P300). Furthermore, in light of a growing literature suggesting a benefit of omega-3 dietary intake for both aggressive and callous-unemotional traits, correlational analysis suggested an association between omega-3 and physical aggression/distress-induced motor extinction, but not callous-unemotional traits/face processing. These results have theoretical implications for understanding and investigating the violence inhibition mechanism on an electrophysiological level, as well as practical utility for better understanding how omega-3 might benefit aggressive traits and motor extinction. Specifically, the importance of distinguishing between both [1] aggressive and callous-unemotional traits and [2] face processing and motor extinction ability, when investigating the violence inhibition mechanism.
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Dawson, Ruth. "An interactive model of antisocial behaviour in young offenders : the role of callous-unemotional traits, materialism and risk-taking behaviour." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2011. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1326280/.
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This study aimed to assess a model of interactive risk in a young offender sample (n=60) aged 14 to 17 years old. It was hypothesised that interactive relationships between callous-unemotional traits, materialism and risk-taking behaviour would account for more variance in the severity of antisocial behaviour. The participants completed a set of self-report questionnaires measuring callous-unemotional traits, materialism, antisocial behaviour and also played a computer task, the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) that assesses risk-taking behaviour. The regression analyses showed that both callous-unemotional traits and materialism were predictors of self-reported antisocial behaviour. Risk-taking behaviour was not found to be predictive of self-reported antisocial behaviour or risk for re-offending. However, it was found that age was predictive of risk for re-offending scores. The only significant interaction effect was between materialism and risk-taking in predicting risk for reoffending. An interactive model with these variables (callous-unemotional traits, materialism and risk-taking) has only been partially supported in this study. Callous-unemotional traits and materialism appear to be important risk factors but the role of risk-taking behaviour in young offenders requires further clarification.
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Frogner, Louise. "The Development of Conduct Problems in Early Childhood : The Role of Psychopathic Traits and Psychopathic Personality." Doctoral thesis, Örebro universitet, Institutionen för juridik, psykologi och socialt arbete, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-53167.
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Research has shown that children displaying conduct problems (CP) early in life are at greater risk for severe CP and other negative outcomes later in life. However, not all children with early-onset CP will develop severe CP over the life-course. Thus, it is important to identify those at greater risk, preferably as early as possible, in order to adequately prevent a negative development. Psychopathic traits have received much attention in research on risk for severe CP, involving attempts to extend these traits, and their association to CP to childhood. However, research has thus far mainly focused on one dimension of psychopathic traits, that is callousunemotional (CU) traits, to some extent neglecting two other dimensions of traits commonly included in a psychopathic personality: an interpersonal, and a behavioural dimension. Hence, we still do not know if a full psychopathic personality is identifiable in early childhood, and if and how it is related to the development of severe and persistent CP. The aim of this dissertation was to examine if a psychopathic personality could be identified in early childhood, if psychopathic traits are stable over time, and if and how the psychopathic personality is related to childhood CP. Overall, the results show that psychopathic traits, as well as the display of a psychopathic personality, could be identified in early childhood. These traits were stable over time, and they were clearly and strongly related to childhood CP. Additionally, the combination of early-onset CP and a full psychopathic personality seems to be the most precarious for severe and persistent CP, even more so than the combination of CP and CU traits. With careful consideration to ethical aspects, these results are discussed both in relation to a developmental psychopathology perspective on CP, as well as in relation to diagnostic practice as it is framed today.
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Ekstrand, Camilla. "Kan barns empati relateras till hur de tittar när de bedömer ansiktsuttryck?" Thesis, Stockholm University, Department of Psychology, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-8001.
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Forskning har visat att barn som uppvisar ett normbrytande beteende i kombination med brister i empati och förståelse för ömsesidighet med andra har svårare för att bedöma rädda ansikten än andra barn med normbrytande beteenden. I en studie kopplades detta till att de inte läser av ögonen utan fokuserar mer på munnen. Föreliggande studies huvudsyfte var dels att validera ett instrument för mätning av barns ögonrörelser och relatera ögonrörelser till tolkning av känslor i ansiktsuttryck, dels att undersöka om barns empati generellt kan kopplas till skillnader i ögonrörelsemönster vid bedömning av ansiktsuttryck. En normalpopulation på 39 barn i 10-11 årsåldern bedömde ansiktsuttryck (glad, neutral, ledsen, arg och rädd). Föräldraskattningar av kognitiv och affektiv empati relaterades till deras förmåga att identifiera ansikten korrekt. Resultaten indikerar att rädda ansiktsuttryck generellt var svårare än de andra att bedöma. Det fanns också en negativ korrelation mellan affektiv empati och förmågan att bedöma rädda ansikten och ansikten i allmänhet. Resultaten diskuteras utifrån tidigare forskning och klinisk betydelse.
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Gottlieb, Katherine A. "Assessing Risk in Adolescent Offenders: A Comparison of Risk Profiles versus Summed Risk Factors." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2013. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1739.
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Research supports interventions for high-risk juvenile offenders to reduce recidivism. Methods for assessing delinquent risk vary, however. Aggregate risk scores (i.e. number of risk factors) and specific risk profiles (i.e. types of risk factors) are both empirically supported techniques. This study compared aggregate scores versus profiles for predicting measures of criminal severity among detained adolescents (n=292). Twenty-four risk factors from the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) were summed to calculate aggregate scores. Using latent class analysis (LCA), profiles were identified based on scores from the following theoretically important SAVRY risk factors: Risk Taking/Impulsivity, Anger Management Problems, Low Empathy/Remorse (CU traits), and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Difficulties. LCA identified one low-risk profile, plus two high-risk profiles differentiated by levels of CU traits. Aggregate scores significantly predicted four out of six criminal severity indicators, while profiles failed to predict any measures. Results support aggregate scores over profiles for assessing delinquent severity.