Identifying stable variants of callous-unemotional traits: A longitudinal study of at-risk girls.

Abstract

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits have proven important for designating children and adolescents showing a pattern of particularly severe, stable, and aggressive antisocial behaviors (Frick, Ray, Thornton, & Kahn, 2014). Individuals with secondary CU traits represent a subpopulation that are distinguished from those with primary CU traits by their high anxiety levels and marked histories of social/environmental adversity; however, evidence is largely based on cross-sectional male samples and this study is the first to examine stable trajectories of CU variants among an all-girl population. Using longitudinal data from the Pittsburgh Girls Study (N = 1,829), we examined whether valid, stable primary and secondary variants of CU traits can be identified among girls using CU traits and anxiety scores, and whether they predict poor adolescent mental health outcomes. Separate trajectory analyses conducted from ages 7 to 15 years indicated an optimal 4-class solution for CU traits (high, moderately high, moderately low, low) and 3 classes for anxiety (high, moderate, low). Classes of interest were combined; those girls with high-anxious secondary CU traits (n = 139) reported significantly greater harsh parental punishment, depression, and less self-control at age 7, and at age 16 were distinguished by greater symptoms of depression, borderline personality disorder (BPD), and conduct disorder (CD), compared with those with primary CU traits (n = 59) and low CU girls (n = 326). Findings improve current understanding of female CU traits by supporting the possibility of multiple developmental pathways, and extend it by identifying possible factors for targeted intervention among this understudied population. (PsycINFO Database Record

Characterising youth with callous–unemotional traits and concurrent anxiety: evidence for a high-risk clinical group

“…Compared to these studies (both of which employed self-reports), CU levels across the variants identified here were slightly lower (i.e. M CU−Anx = 31.09 compared to 32.30 in [ 25 ] and 33.24 in [ 23 ]; M CU+Anx = 31.30 compared to 33.62 in [ 25 ] and 36.01 in [ 23 ]). Of note, the median-split approach used here makes it possible to compare the CU + Anx group to (1) a CU − Anx group, who shows comparable levels of CU levels but significantly lower levels of anxiety; and (2) an Anxious group, who instead shows comparable levels of anxiety but significantly lower levels of CU.…”

“…M = 23.65; [ 25 ]) and juvenile offender populations (e.g. M = 22.33; [ 23 ]). Compared to these studies (both of which employed self-reports), CU levels across the variants identified here were slightly lower (i.e.…”

“…they can be thought of as ‘behavioural phenocopies’), but the CU + Anx variant is associated with more severe pre- [ 7 , 13 ] and post-natal [ 14 , 15 ] adversity, with the most consistent evidence relating to childhood maltreatment [ 16 – 20 ]. Furthermore, variants have been shown to differ markedly in presentation across a range of domains, including comorbid psychiatric symptomatology [ 7 , 14 , 15 , 21 , 22 ], impulsivity [ 19 ], self-control [ 23 ], empathy [ 24 ], personality traits [ 25 ], expression of aggression [ 26 ], negative affect [ 20 ], emotional lability [ 27 ], emotional processing [ 6 , 17 , 28 , 29 ], behavioural risk [ 15 , 18 ] and biological function [ 13 , 26 , 30 ].…”

Is Female Psychopathy Linked with Child Abuse? An Empirical Investigation using a Person-Centered Approach

“…As these experiences accumulate, the person's affective displays are continuously inhibited until the point of dissociation in terms of affective and cognitive experiences. In this developmental sequence, the person exhibits blunted affect and little connection to others-part of the core of psychopathy-in addition to suffering from comorbid psychiatric problems, such as anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, substance use disorders, and other conditions that disproportionately affect girls (Fanti, Demetriou, & Kimonis, 2013;Goulter, Kimonis, Hawes, Stepp, & Hipwell, 2017;Kahn et al, 2013;Newhill, Vaughn, & DeLisi, 2010;Pechorro et al, 2013). In support of the theory, recent empirical research among 557 youth (50% female) indicated that maltreatment in childhood and adolescence (up to age 13) was predictive of lack of guilt at age 14, which can subsequently lead to the development of callous-unemotional traits.…”

“…Using data from the Pittsburgh Girls Study, Goulter et al (2017) found that childhood abuse in the form of harsh punishment distinguished girls with primary and secondary psychopathic features from controls. In another study, community-recruited female victims of child sexual abuse (n = 28) were found to score two SDs above the mean on the Psychopathic Deviate subscale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (Hathaway & McKinley, 1943).…”