Bad Boys and Mean Girls: Callous-Unemotional Traits, Management of Disruptive Behavior in School, the Teacher-Student Relationship and Academic Motivation

Abstract

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits comprise a temperament dimension characterized by low empathy, interpersonal callousness, restricted affect and a lack of concern for performance. CU traits are the hallmark feature of psychopathy in youth and are associated with more varied, severe and stable antisocial behavior. However, little is known about the presentation, impact and correlates of CU traits in schools. We conducted a mixed methods study investigating the relationships between CU traits, student disruptive behavior, responses to classroom management strategies, teacher-student relationship quality and academic motivation. Participants comprised 437 children aged 11-14 years (M = 12.5 years, 51% female) and 12 teachers recruited from a state school in England. Teacher participants consisted of 8 women and 4 men aged 23-51 (M = 35.27 years, SD = 10.43). Children completed the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU; Frick, 2004). Teachers then completed an interview and questionnaires for a randomly selected subsample of students who (i) scored in the top 25% on student report of CU traits (n = 24), and (ii) scored below the median (n = 23). Thematic analysis of teacher interviews revealed that high CU children display more frequent, severe antisocial behavior in school. Teachers reported that high CU students were resistant to teacher discipline strategies, often showing intense displays of anger in response to their attempts to set limits. High CU students appeared to be less responsive to social rewards (e.g., praise). Encouragingly, some teachers reported a good relationship with a child identified as high in CU traits, despite recognizing that this student's behavior made it difficult for other teachers to maintain a harmonious classroom environment. Teachers attributed the poor academic performance of children high in CU traits to a lack of motivation, reporting the need for intense monitoring and feedback to ensure that these students completed schoolwork. Findings suggest that risk pathways for poor school outcomes may differ for antisocial children high and low in CU traits, and emphasize the need to modify existing school-based interventions to promote academic engagement and prosocial behavior in this high-risk subgroup of antisocial children.

Callous-Unemotional Traits and Antisocial Behavior in South Korean Children: Links with Academic Motivation, School Engagement, and Teachers’ Use of Reward and Discipline

“…Teacher’s use of harsh discipline predicted reduced school engagement for children with low, but not high levels of CU traits. Our finding is in line with past research linking CU traits to insensitivity to harsh parental discipline (e.g., Hipwell et al 2007 ; Oxford et al 2003 ), and qualitative work highlighting teacher’s perspectives on the reduced effectiveness of discipline for children with CU traits (Allen et al 2016 ; Allen et al 2018 ). Our results extend prior research on CU traits and insensitivity to parental harsh discipline to teacher-child interaction and are consistent with theories emphasizing the role of punishment insensitivity in the etiology of CU traits (Pardini and Frick 2013 ).…”

“…Nevertheless, our findings indicate that the contribution of teacher strategies to child school outcomes may be contingent on levels of CU traits. Our longitudinal design advances what is known since prior studies examining the relationships between CU traits and teacher reward and discipline strategies have been cross-sectional and featured small samples (e.g., Allen et al 2016 ; Allen et al 2018 ).…”

“…It is also worth considering the complex picture highlighted by qualitative research on CU traits and teacher rewards in relation to the non-significant moderation by CU traits of the purported link between teacher rewards, academic motivation and school engagement. While overall teachers viewed rewards as less effective for children high in CU traits, some also reported iatrogenic effects (e.g., abuse of a position of responsibility), while others identified some reward strategies as helpful (e.g., praise, a positive teacher-child relationship) (Allen et al 2016 ; Allen et al 2018 ). Past research indicates that CU traits are more strongly related to tangible/monetary rewards and rewards that enhance their status for social dominance compared to those that involve social approval or affiliation (Allen et al 2016 ; Foulkes et al 2014 ).…”

“…While verbal ability deficits are considered to be a major contributing factor to school failure in antisocial children (Moffitt 1993 ), evidence suggests that these deficits are unrelated to CU traits (Allen et al 2013 ; DeLisi et al 2011 ). It has therefore been suggested that rather than reduced cognitive abilities, the poor achievement of antisocial children with CU traits may be due to low intrinsic motivation and school engagement, coupled with reduced responsiveness to teacher strategies (Allen et al 2018 ; DeLisi et al 2011 ; Horan et al 2016 ). However, only a handful of studies have explored the relationship between CU traits, children’s responses to teachers’ use of reward and discipline strategies, and school-related outcomes.…”

“…However, only a handful of studies have explored the relationship between CU traits, children’s responses to teachers’ use of reward and discipline strategies, and school-related outcomes. Two qualitative studies found that teachers perceived both rewards and discipline as less effective overall for children high in CU traits; but praise and a positive teacher-child relationship were perceived as helpful to promote academic motivation and school engagement, while sending children out of class was also considered to be effective for reducing disruptive behavior (Allen et al 2018 ; Allen et al 2016 ). Researchers have also suggested the possibility of a reciprocal relationship, as children with CU traits may not derive the same benefits from teacher strategies that promote motivation, engagement and prosocial behavior in typically developing children, and conversely, callous-unemotional features may elicit harsher discipline, fewer rewards and less encouragement from teachers (Bird et al 2019 ; DeLisi et al 2011 ; Horan et al 2016 ).…”