With Limited Prosocial Emotions Specifier for Conduct Disorder

Callous–unemotional traits, which include lack of remorse or guilt, callousness/lack of empathy, unconcern about performance, and shallow/deficient affect, were included as a specifier of conduct disorder in the current (fifth) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders under the rubric Limited Prosocial Emotions (LPEs). The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a new rating scale, the Limited Prosocial Emotions Questionnaire (LPEQ). Caregivers ( n = 1,050) of children ( Mage = 8.42, SD = 2.31) completed the LPEQ and other measures. Results provide support for a single factor model of the LPEQ, with measurement invariance supported across child and informant sex. Both the reliability and validity of the LPEQ as a measure of LPEs were also well supported. Children identified with LPE had significantly greater average impairment and need for treatment relative to children without LPE. Children with conduct problems (i.e., conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder), as well those without conduct problems, had significantly more impairment if they were identified as having LPE. Our findings fit with the mounting evidence of the clinical utility of assessing LPEs in children. Future research should look to replicate our findings in clinical samples of youth.

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Effects of the “Limited Prosocial Emotions” Specifier for Conduct Disorder on Juror Perceptions of Juvenile Offenders

Criminal Justice and Behavior ◽

10.1177/0093854818774381 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 45 (10) ◽

pp. 1547-1564 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ashneeta H. Prasad ◽

Eva R. Kimonis

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Juvenile Offenders ◽

Conduct Disorder ◽

Juror Perceptions ◽

Probative Value ◽

Callous Unemotional ◽

Callous Unemotional Traits ◽

Negative Perceptions ◽

Diagnostic Label ◽

Limited Prosocial Emotions

Despite the association that the “Limited Prosocial Emotions” (LPE) specifier for Conduct Disorder (CD) has with psychopathy, little is known about whether the LPE specifier aggravates juvenile proceedings. The present study of 294 juror-eligible U.S. citizens examined the effects of the LPE specifier on juror perceptions of juvenile offenders. Relative to undiagnosed offenders, those with a CD or CD+LPE diagnosis were perceived as less amenable to treatment and more dangerous, and received a more restrictive sentence. A CD+LPE diagnosis did not incrementally increase negative perceptions relative to a CD diagnosis. Interestingly, participants recommended less restrictive sentences for youth with a CD+LPE diagnosis relative to those showing symptoms of CD+LPE without a diagnostic label. Controlling for diagnostic status, higher levels of perceived callous-unemotional traits in youth predicted negative perceptions and recommendations for more restrictive sentences. Findings are discussed within the context of the probative value of mental health evidence within legal settings.

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The Limited Prosocial Emotions Specifier for Conduct Disorder Among Detained Girls

Criminal Justice and Behavior ◽

10.1177/0093854815613104 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 43 (6) ◽

pp. 778-792 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Lore Van Damme ◽

Olivier F. Colins ◽

Wouter Vanderplasschen

Keyword(s):

Conduct Disorder ◽

Limited Prosocial Emotions

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Clinical Utility of the Limited Prosocial Emotions Specifier in the Childhood-Onset Subtype of Conduct Disorder

The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/0706743719885469 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 64 (12) ◽

pp. 838-845 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Michèle Déry ◽

Vincent Bégin ◽

Jean Toupin ◽

Caroline Temcheff

Keyword(s):

Conduct Disorder ◽

Conduct Problems ◽

Attention Deficit ◽

Clinical Utility ◽

Clinical Usefulness ◽

Childhood Onset ◽

Persistent Symptoms ◽

Stable Pattern ◽

Oppositional Defiant ◽

Limited Prosocial Emotions

Objective: Clinicians may specify the diagnosis of conduct disorder (CD) as “with limited prosocial emotions” (LPE). This specifier is thought to identify youths with particularly severe and stable symptomatology. However, few studies have examined the clinical usefulness of the LPE specifier among children with childhood-onset CD. The current study examines whether the LPE specifier distinguishes children with particularly severe and persistent symptoms among those with childhood-onset CD. The study also aims to test whether the LPE specifier aids in identifying children with subclinical CD whose conduct problems are at risk of increasing. Method: Two hundred sixty-four children showing at least one CD symptom before age 10 were divided based on the presence of CD and the specifier. Children with and without the specifier were compared on number of CD symptoms (assessed at study inception) and trajectory of conduct problems (assessed over 4 years). The analyses controlled for oppositional defiant and attention deficit hyperactivity symptomatology. Results: Compared with children with CD but without LPE, children with CD and the LPE specifier did not differ on likelihood of endorsing most symptoms nor on total numbers of symptoms. Moreover, they did not show a more stable pattern of conduct problems across the 4 years. Children with subclinical CD with and without the LPE specifier were also similar in terms of their symptoms, severity, and evolution of their problems. Conclusions: Among youths with childhood-onset CD, the specifier appears to offer limited value in identifying those with particularly severe and stable CD symptomatology.

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