Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Individual, Social, and Behavioral Factors Associated with Co-Occurring Conduct Problems and Callous-Unemotional Traits

  • Published:
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Conduct problems (CP) and callous-unemotional (CU) traits can have a long-lasting negative impact into adulthood. Importantly, among youth with CP, those high on CU traits engage in a more severe, aggressive, and persistent pattern of antisocial behavior. The current study investigates the co-occurrence between CP and CU traits among a large sample of Greek-Cypriot adolescents (N = 1,674; 50.1 % girls). Five distinct groups were identified with Latent Profile Analysis: low risk (48.7 %), average risk (33.8 %), co-occurring high CP-high CU (5.4 %), high CP-low CU (5.2 %), and low CP-high CU (6.9 %). Although more boys were identified in the higher risk groups, boys and girls within each group were not differentiated on levels of CP or CU traits during early adolescence. Youth in the identified groups were compared on early (Mean age = 12.12) and middle (Mean age = 14.02) adolescence individual and contextual factors. Youth with high CP-high CU were at higher risk for behavioral (bullying and substance use), individual (inattention, impulsivity, narcissism), and contextual (low family-support) problems compared to youth in the high CP-low CU and low CP-high CU groups, providing evidence that the combination of CP and CU traits might constitute a pathological group. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of sub-typing CP based on CU traits for the forthcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Additional novel findings suggested that adolescents scoring high on CP, irrespective of CU, were not differentiated on hyperactivity, victimization, and anxiety/depression, and adolescents scoring high on CU traits, with or without CP, reported similar low levels of self-esteem and peer and family social-support.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Integrative guide for the 1991 CBCL14-18, YSR and TRF profiles. Burlington: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andershed, H., Gustafson, S. B., Kerr, M., & Stattin, H. (2002). The usefulness of self-reported psychopathy-like traits in the study of antisocial behaviour among non-referred adolescents. European Journal of Personality, 16(5), 383–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barry, C. T., Frick, P. J., & Killian, A. L. (2003). The relation of narcissism and self-esteem to conduct problems in children: A preliminary investigation. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 32(1), 139–152.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, D. J., & Curran, P. J. (2004). The integration of continuous and discrete latent variables models: potential problems and promising opportunities. Psychological Methods, 9, 3–29.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., Smart, L., & Boden, J. M. (1996). Relation of threatened egotism to violence and aggression: the dark side of high self-esteem. Psychological Review, 103, 5–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cale, E. M., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2006). Psychopathy factors and risk for aggressive behavior: a test of the “threatened egotism” hypothesis. Law and Human Behavior, 30(1), 51.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cillessen, A. H. N., & Rose, A. J. (2005). Understanding popularity in the peer system. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14(2), 102–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colledge, E., & Blair, R. J. R. (2001). The relationship in children between the inattention and impulsivity components of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and psychopathic tendencies. Personality and Individual Differences, 30(7), 1175–1187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, P., Jr., Terracciano, A., & McCrae, R. R. (2001). Gender differences in personality traits across cultures: robust and surprising findings. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81(2), 322–331.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Essau, C. A., Sasagawa, S., & Frick, P. J. (2006). Callous-unemotional traits in community sample of adolescents. Assessment, 13, 454–469.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fanti, K. A., & Avraamides, M. (2011). Desensitization to media violence. In M. Paludi (Ed.), The psychology of teen violence and victimization (pp. 121–133). Santa Barbara: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fanti, K. A., & Henrich, C. C. (2010). Trajectories of pure and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems from age 2 to age 12: findings from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. Developmental Psychology, 46(5), 1159–1175.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fanti, K. A., & Kimonis, E. (2012). Bullying and victimization: the role of conduct problems and psychopathic traits. Journal of Research on Adolescence. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00809.

  • Fanti, K. A., Brookmeyer, K. A., Henrich, C. C., & Kuperminc, G. (2009). Aggressive behavior and quality of friendships: linear and curvilinear associations. Journal of Early Adolescence, 29(6), 826–838.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fanti, K. A., Vanman, E., Henrich, C. C., & Avraamides, M. N. (2009). Desensitization to media violence over a short period of time. Aggressive Behavior, 35(2), 179–187.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fanti, K. A., Demetriou, A., & Hawa, V. (2012). A longitudinal study of cyber-bullying: risk and protective factors. The European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9(2), 168–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fontaine, N. M. G., McCrory, E. J. P., Boivin, M., Moffitt, T. E., & Viding, E. (2011). Predictors and outcomes of joint trajectories of callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems in childhood. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 120(3), 730–742.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fowler, T., Langley, K., Rice, F., Whittinger, N., Ross, K., van Goozen, S., et al. (2009). Psychopathy traits in adolescents with childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 194(1), 62–67.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J. (2004). The inventory of callous-unemotional traits. Unpublished rating scale.

  • Frick, P. J., & Dantagnan, A. (2005). Predicting the stability of conduct problems in children with and without callous-unemotional traits. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 14, 469–485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., & Hare, R. D. (2001). The antisocial process screening device. Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., & Moffitt, T. E. (2010). A proposal to the DSM-V childhood disorders and the ADHD and disruptive behavior disorders work groups to include a specifier to the diagnosis of conduct disorder based on the presence of callous-unemotional traits. Washington, DC: APA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., & White, S. (2008). The importance of callous-unemotional traits for the development of aggressive and antisocial behavior. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49, 359–375.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., Lilienfeld, S. O., Ellis, M., Loney, B., & Silverthorn, P. (1999). The association between anxiety and psychopathy dimensions in children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 27(5), 383–392.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., Cornell, A. H., Barry, C. T., Bodin, S. D., & Dane, H. E. (2003). Callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems in the prediction of conduct problem severity, aggression, and self-report of delinquency. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 31(4), 457–470.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., Cornell, A. H., Bodin, S. D., Dane, H. E., Barry, C. T., & Loney, B. R. (2003). Callous-unemotional traits and developmental pathways to severe conduct problems. Developmental Psychology, 39(2), 246–260.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., Kimonis, E. R., Dandreaux, D. M., & Farell, J. M. (2003). The 4 year stability of psychopathic traits in non-referred youth. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 21(6), 713–736.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., Barry, C. T., & Kamphaus, R. W. (2010). Clinical Assessment of Child and Adolescent Personality and Behavior (Vol. 3). New York.

  • Funk, J. B., Bechtoldt-Baldacci, H., Pasold, T., & Baumgartner, J. (2004). Violence exposure in real-life, video games, television, movies, and the internet: Is there desensitization? Journal of Adolescence, 27, 23–39.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gadow, K., & Sprafkin, J. (1997). Adolescent symptom inventory-4 screening manual. Stony Brook: Checkmate Plus.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keenan, K., & Shaw, D. (1997). Developmental and social influences on young girls’ early problem behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 121(1), 95–113.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keenan, K., Loeber, R., & Green, S. (1999). Conduct disorder in girls: a review of the literature. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 2(1), 3–19.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kimonis, E. R., Frick, P. J., Fazekas, H., & Loney, B. R. (2006). Psychopathy, aggression, and the processing of emotional stimuli in non-referred girls and boys. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 24(1), 21–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kimonis, E. R., Skeem, J. L., Cauffman, E., & Dmitrieva, J. (2011). Are secondary variants of juvenile psychopathy more reactively violent and less psychosocially mature than primary variants? Law and Human Behavior; Law and Human Behavior, 35(5), 381–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lo, Y., Mendell, N. R., & Rubin, D. B. (2001). Testing the number of components in a normal mixture. Biometrika, 88, 767–778.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loeber, R., Burke, J. D., Lahey, B. B., Winters, A., & Zera, M. (2000). Oppositional defiant and conduct disorder: a review of the past 10 years, part I. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39(12), 1468–1484.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lynam, D. R. (1996). Early identification of chronic offenders: Who is the fledgling psychopath? Psychological Bulletin, 120(2), 209–234.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lynam, D. R., Charnigo, R., Moffitt, T. E., Raine, A., Loeber, R., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (2009). The stability of psychopathy across adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 21(4), 1133–1153.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marsee, M. A., Silverthorn, P., & Frick, P. J. (2005). The association of psychopathic traits with aggression and delinquency in non-referred boys and girls. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 23(6), 803–817.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, J. D., Lyman, D. R., Widiger, T. A., & Leukefeld, C. (2001). Personality disorders as extreme variants of common personality dimensions: Can the Five factor model adequately represent psychopathy? Journal of Personality, 69(2), 253–276.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muthén, B. (2000). Methodological issues in random coefficient growth modeling using a latent variable framework: Applications to the development of heavy drinking. In J. Rose, L. Chassin, C. Presson, & J. Sherman (Eds.), Multivariate applications in substance use research (pp. 113–140). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. (2010). Mplus user’s guide. Los Angeles: Muthén & Muthén.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nagin, D. S. (2005). Group-based modeling of development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nylund, K. L., Asparouhov, T., & Muthen, B. (2007). Deciding on the number of classes in latent class analysis and growth mixture modeling. A Monte Carlo simulation study. Structural Equation Modeling, 14, 535–569.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pakaslahti, L., & Keltikangas-Jarvinen, L. (2000). Peer-attributed prosocial behavior among aggressive/preferred, aggressive/non-preferred, non-aggressive/preferred and non-aggressive/nonpreferred adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 30, 903–916.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pardini, D. A., & Loeber, R. (2008). Interpersonal callousness trajectories across adolescence. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 35(2), 173–196.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pardini, D. A., Lochman, J. E., & Frick, P. J. (2003). Callous/unemotional traits and social-cognitive processes in adjudicated youths. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42(3), 364–371.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Procidano, M. E., & Heller, K. (1983). Measures of perceived social support from friends and from family: three validation studies. American Journal of Community Psychology, 11(1), 1–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roussos, A., Francis, K., Zoubou, V., Kiprianos, S., Prokopiopu, A., & Richardson, C. (2001). The standardization of Achenbach’s Youth Self-Report in Greece in a national sample of high school students. European Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 10, 47–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, R., Maughan, B., Moran, P., Ford, T., Briskman, J., & Goodman, R. (2010). The role of callous and unemotional traits in the diagnosis of conduct disorder. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 51(6), 688–695.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Silverthorn, P., Frick, P. J., & Reynolds, R. (2001). Timing of onset and correlates of severe conduct problems in adjudicated girls and boys. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 23(3), 171–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Varjas, K., Meyers, J., & Hunt, M. H. (2006). Student survey of bullying behavior –revised 2 (SSBB-R2). Atlanta: Georgia State University, Center for Research on School Safety, School Climate and Classroom Management.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verona, E., Sadeh, N., & Javdani, S. (2010). The influences of gender and culture on child and adolescent psychopathy. In R. T. Salekin & D. R. Lynam (Eds.), Handbook of child and adolescent psychopathy (pp. 317–342). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Viding, E., Simmonds, E., Petrides, K., & Frederickson, N. (2009). The contribution of callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems to bullying in early adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50(4), 471–481.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Waschbusch, D. A., & Willoughby, M. T. (2008). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and callous-unemotional traits as moderators of conduct problems when examining impairment and aggression in elementary school children. Aggressive Behavior, 34(2), 139–153.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wymbs, B. T., McCarty, C. A., King, K. M., McCauley, E., Vander Stoep, A., Baer, J., et al. (2012). Callous-unemotional traits as unique prospective risk factors for substance use in adolescent boys and girls. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. doi:10.1007/s10802-012-9628-5. Advance online publication.

  • Zahn-Waxler, C. (2000). The development of empathy, guilt and the internalization of distress. In R. Davidson (Ed.), Anxiety, depression and emotion (pp. 222–265). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52, 30–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflicts of interest

The author declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, CY 1678, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Kostas A. Fanti

Authors
  1. Kostas A. Fanti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kostas A. Fanti.

Additional information

This research was funded by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7-PEOPLE-2007-4-3-IRG) under grant agreement n° 224903

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fanti, K.A. Individual, Social, and Behavioral Factors Associated with Co-Occurring Conduct Problems and Callous-Unemotional Traits. J Abnorm Child Psychol 41, 811–824 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-013-9726-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-013-9726-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation