Maladaptive Fearlessness: An Examination of the Association Between Subjective Fear Experience and Antisocial Behaviors Linked With Callous Unemotional Traits

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elise M. Cardinale ◽  
Rebecca M. Ryan ◽  
Abigail A. Marsh
Keyword(s):  
Antisocial Behavior ◽  
Real World ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Antisocial Behaviors ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Unemotional Traits ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
The Relationship

The centrality of a fearless temperament as it relates to the construct of psychopathy remains an area of controversy, with some researchers arguing that the relationship between fearless temperament and psychopathy (and associated antisocial behavior) can be explained by shared associations with other core affective and interpersonal traits of psychopathy such as callous-unemotional (CU) traits. The authors investigated real-world subjectively experienced fear in 306 individuals with varying levels of CU traits and antisocial behavior and found that at low levels of subjective fear experience, decreases in subjective fear were associated with greater antisociality. Even after controlling for the positive relationship between CU traits and antisocial behavior, reduced subjectively experienced fear remained a significant predictor of antisocial behavior. These results provide evidence that experienced fear is related to antisocial behavior at lower than average levels of subjectively experienced fear and that this relationship persists after controlling for CU traits.

scholarly journals Strong evidence that callous–unemotional traits are not related to risk-taking task performance

F1000Research ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luna C. M. Centifanti ◽  
James Negen
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Real World ◽  
Strong Evidence ◽  
Null Model ◽  
Risky Behaviors ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Unemotional Traits ◽  
Driving Task

A hypothesized association between callous–unemotional (CU) traits and risk-taking may account for the link between CU traits and real-world risky behaviors, such as illegal behavior. Prior findings show that reward and punishment responsivity differs in relation to CU traits, but is not associated with general risk-taking. However this has only been examined previously with one task, only with a frequentist framework, and with limited interpretation. Here, we expand to another task and to Bayesian analyses. A total of 657 participants (52% female) completed the Inventory of Callous–Unemotional Traits, the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (essentially a gambling task), and the Stoplight driving task, which repeatedly presents participants with riskier or less risky choices to make while driving. We found strong evidence for the null model, in which there is no relation between the two risk-taking tasks and CU traits (R2 = 0.001; BF10 = 1/60.22). These results suggest that general risk-taking does not underlie the real-world risky behavior of people with CU traits. Alternative explanations include a different method of valuing certain outcomes.

Callous-unemotional Traits: Verhaltensprobleme und prosoziales Verhalten bei Kindergartenkindern

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ute Koglin ◽  
Franz Petermann
Keyword(s):  
Cu Traits ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Antisocial Process Screening Device ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Prosoziales Verhalten ◽  
Unemotional Traits ◽  
Screening Device

Callous-unemotional Traits (CU-Traits) stellen in der emotionalen Entwicklung Abweichungen dar, wie mangelnde Empathie oder ein oberflächlicher Affekt und gehören zu den Kernmerkmalen der Psychopathy. Aus einer entwicklungspsychopathologischen Sichtweise wird in der vorliegenden Studie untersucht, ob diese affektiven Merkmale bereits bei Kindern im Kindergartenalter zu identifizieren sind und sie mit Verhaltensproblemen, besonders mit externalisierenden Verhaltensproblemen, im Zusammenhang stehen. Anhand einer Stichprobe mit 311 Kindern (durchschnittlich 5;0 Jahre) wird die Anzahl der Kinder mit Callous-unemotional-Traits (CU-Traits), erfasst mit dem „Antisocial Process Screening Device“ (APSD), identifiziert. Es werden quer- und längsschnittliche Zusammenhange zwischen CU-Traits und Erlebens- und Verhaltensprobleme (SDQ) dargestellt. 23,3 % der Kinder weisen erhöhte Werte auf der Skala CU-Traits auf. Jüngere Kinder erreichen höhere Werte, so dass normative Entwicklungseinflüsse nahe gelegt werden. Es zeigen sich eindeutige Beziehungen zwischen CU-Traits und Verhaltensproblemen sowie negative Korrelationen zu prosozialem Verhalten. In der längsschnittlichen Analyse über ein Jahr erweisen sich CU-Traits als Prädiktor für Verhaltensprobleme. Ein spezifischer Zusammenhang zwischen aggressivem Verhalten und CU-Traits kann nicht aufgezeigt werden. CU-Traits stehen besonders mit einem Defizit prosozialen Verhaltens in Verbindung. Es wird diskutiert, ob CU-Traits bei jungen Kindern dazu geeignet sind, aggressive Kinder frühzeitig zu identifizieren.

Exploring Empathy and Callous–Unemotional Traits as Predictors of Animal Abuse Perpetrated by Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 2419-2437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christie Hartman ◽  
Tina Hageman ◽  
James Herbert Williams ◽  
Jason St. Mary ◽  
Frank R. Ascione
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Animal Abuse ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Unemotional Traits

We explored the relation between empathy, callous–unemotional (CU) traits, and animal abuse in a sample of 290 seven- to twelve-year-old children whose mothers were exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV). The sample comprises mostly Latino and White participants, and 55% of the children’s mothers were born outside the United States (primarily Mexico). To our knowledge, among studies examining child-perpetrated animal abuse, this study is the first to examine empathy levels and one of only a few to examine CU traits. When comparing Griffith Empathy Measure (empathy) and Inventory of Callous–Unemotional Traits (callous–unemotional [CU] traits) scores with those from studies of White schoolchildren, our sample scored lower on affective empathy, higher on cognitive empathy, and lower for overall CU scores as well as Callous and Unemotional subscales. Of 290 children, 47 (16.2%) harmed an animal at least once according to either mother or child report. There were no significant sex or age differences between Abuse and No Abuse groups. The Abuse group scored significantly higher on affective empathy, CU, and Callousness/Unemotional subscales, and significantly lower on cognitive empathy. However, in regression analyses that controlled for income, only lower cognitive empathy and higher CU significantly predicted having abused an animal. In summary, low cognitive empathy (but not affective empathy) and CU traits may serve as reliable predictors of child animal abuse. However, replication of these results is necessary. A larger sample with a high percentage of Latino children whose mothers were exposed to IPV, along with a non-exposed comparison group, would be ideal.

scholarly journals Clarifying the Link Between Amygdala Functioning During Emotion Processing and Antisocial Behaviors Versus Callous-Unemotional Traits Within a Population-Based Community Sample

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 918-935
Author(s):  
Hailey L. Dotterer ◽  
Rebecca Waller ◽  
Tyler C. Hein ◽  
Alicia Pardon ◽  
Colter Mitchell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Emotion Processing ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Antisocial Behaviors ◽  
Emotional Cues ◽  
Cu Traits ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Amygdala Reactivity

Prominent theories suggest that disruptions in amygdala reactivity and connectivity when processing emotional cues are key to the etiology of youth antisocial behavior (AB) and that these associations may be dependent on co-occurring levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits. We examined the associations among AB, CU traits, and amygdala reactivity and functional connectivity while viewing emotional faces (fearful, angry, sad, happy) in 165 adolescents (46% male; 73.3% African American) from a representative, predominantly low-income community sample. AB was associated with increased amygdala activation in response to all emotions and was associated with greater amygdala reactivity to emotion only at low levels of CU traits. AB and CU traits were also associated with distinct patterns of amygdala connectivity. These findings demonstrate that AB-related deficits in amygdala functioning may extend across all emotions and highlight the need for further research on amygdala connectivity during emotion processing in relation to AB and CU traits within community populations.

scholarly journals Examination of the importance of age of onset, callous-unemotional traits and anger dysregulation in youths with antisocial behaviors

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sébastien Urben ◽  
Philippe Stéphan ◽  
Stéphanie Habersaat ◽  
Eric Francescotti ◽  
Jörg M. Fegert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Antisocial Behaviors ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Unemotional Traits

scholarly journals Antisocial behavior from a developmental psychopathology perspective

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1111-1131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. Frick ◽  
Essi Viding
Keyword(s):  
Antisocial Behavior ◽  
Developmental Psychopathology ◽  
Development Model ◽  
Abnormal Development ◽  
Antisocial Behaviors ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
Causal Theories

AbstractThis paper reviews research on chronic patterns of antisocial behavior and places this research into a developmental psychopathology framework. Specifically, research suggests that there are at least three important pathways through which children and adolescents can develop severe antisocial behaviors. One group of youth shows antisocial behavior that begins in adolescence, and two groups show antisocial behavior that begins in childhood but differ on the presence or absence of callous–unemotional traits. In outlining these distinct pathways to antisocial behavior, we have tried to illustrate some key concepts from developmental psychopathology such as equifinality and multifinality, the importance of understanding the interface between normal and abnormal development, and the importance of using multiple levels of analyses to advance causal theories. Finally, we discuss how this development model can be used to enhance existing interventions for antisocial individuals.

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