The primary objective of the current study involved examining the influence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits on the aggressive behavior and criminal offending of female juveniles committed to a secure juvenile justice facility. A history of physical abuse was examined as a potential moderator of these relationships. The deviant behaviors of peers were examined with respect to the outcomes for the entire sample. A total of 63 female youth incarcerated at a Midwestern state correctional facility participated. Overall levels of callous-unemotional traits were not related to involvement in delinquent activities. However, specific aspects of CU traits were related to engagement in certain types of criminal behavior. Peer delinquency was related to self-reported engagement in criminal activities generally, as well as offenses against persons specifically. CU traits demonstrated significant relationships with measures of aggression, but no significant differences were found with respect to the relationship of CU traits with different types of aggression. Having a history of physical abuse was unrelated to levels of aggression and involvement in delinquency. These findings have implications for prevention and intervention programs in correctional settings and the community. However, potential problems with data collection and measurement of key variables are discussed. Additional research needs to be conducted to determine the mechanisms of the relationships found in this study.

Therapeutic alliance is a robust predictor of future therapeutic outcomes. While treatment of normal children and adolescents is often hard, treating antisocial youth is especially difficult because of the social, cognitive, and emotional deficits experienced by these youth. This study investigated whether differing levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits influenced the formation of therapeutic alliance in a sample of 51 adjudicated youth in juvenile institutions. Also, we tested whether therapeutic alliance influenced success in the institution and whether this association differed based on levels of CU traits. Results revealed that CU traits and selfreported delinquency were both modestly related to institutional infractions. Children low on both dimensions showed the lowest levels of institutional infractions. Additionally, these findings suggest that children high on both CU traits and delinquency reported better therapeutic alliance, but that youth with high CU traits committed more institutional infractions, despite their level of therapeutic alliance.

Adolescents commit nearly one-fifth of the sex crimes each year. Among those offenders exists a group of adolescent sex offenders with callous and unemotional (CU) traits who seem to show a more severe pattern of sexual offending. The current study attempts to test the importance of these traits by comparing adolescent sex offenders high or low on CU traits based on victim and offense characteristics, and offending history. A sample of 150 detained adolescents with a current sexual offense conviction were assessed through self-report, clinical interview, and file review. Results indicated that after controlling for a history of antisocial behaviors, the high CU group was more likely to have a greater number of victims, use more violence with victims, and engage in more offense planning than the low CU group. The high CU group was also more likely to offend against both strangers and family.

The current study was an investigation of the effectiveness of Functional Family Therapy (FFT) for improving the mental health, behavioral, and legal outcomes for justice-involved adolescents. A primary focus of the investigation was on whether Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits moderated the effects of treatment and whether therapists tailored the intervention to youths with these traits. The sample was 134 youths (15.34 years) who had been arrested and referred to a community mental health center for treatment by trained FFT therapists. Results indicated modest improvement over the course of treatment in the youths' emotional and behavioral functioning. CU traits were found to moderate treatment effects, wherein CU traits were associated with greater emotional and behavioral dysfunction prior to treatment, as well as greater improvement after treatment. However, CU traits also predicted greater self-reported, but not official reports, of delinquency at follow-up. Furthermore, results indicated some evidence for diverging treatment processes for youth with and without CU traits. Specifically, differences in response to changes in negative parenting varied between youth high and low on CU traits for some measures of emotional and behavioral functioning. Overall, FFT was found to be a promising treatment approach, but significant limitations in its effectiveness were also documented.

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential moderating effects of CU traits on the relationship between self-reported social intelligence and aggression in a community sample of boys and girls (ages 14-18). Four subtypes of aggression were measured: reactive overt, reactive relational, proactive overt, and proactive relational. Results indicated that there was not a significant association between social intelligence and any of the aggression subtypes. Neither CU traits nor empathy moderated the association between social intelligence and any of the four subtypes of aggression. Supplementary analyses were conducted to investigate whether level and type of aggression was related to levels of social intelligence and CU traits (or an interaction between the two). Results indicated that at high levels of CU traits, youth exhibited significantly higher levels of proactive overt and reactive overt aggression (t(113.06) than at low levels of CU traits.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits have been shown to designate a particular subgroup of antisocial youth that are particularly violent, recidivistic, and more likely to continue offending in adulthood. Disordered neuroendocrine function may be a mechanism for the development of CU traits. We examined whether altered stress responsivity served as a mechanism linking stress exposure and the expression of CU traits. Participants were 15 incarcerated adolescent girls with CU traits. Measures of CU traits, stress exposure, and salivary cortisol were collected. Results revealed girls with CU traits had higher morning levels of cortisol, an intact cortisol awakening response (CAR), and flatter diurnal rhythms. Results indicated the type of stressor being measured and time since stressor onset are crucial to the interpretation of neuroendocrine function. We also found support for a neurobiological model for the development of CU traits drawing on the Adaptive Calibration Model. Implications of the study and directions for further research are discussed.

The current study aims to examine whether the association between conduct problems and bullying are accounted for by different factors in those with and without callous-unemotional (CU) traits. Participants included 284 students in the 4th through 7th grades. Results indicated that conduct problems and bullying were significantly correlated, and that this association was not moderated by CU traits. Moreover, anger dysregulation, and to some extent, victimization, were more strongly associated with conduct problems in those with lower levels of CU traits. Furthermore, conduct problems were more strongly related to attitudes towards bullying for those lower on CU traits than for those higher on CU traits. Finally, anger dysregulation, victimization, perceived peer support, and attitudes towards bullying did not account for the association between conduct problems and bullying.

The current study obtained teacher and parent ratings of callous unemotional (CU) traits and aggression of 118 low socio economic middle school children at Time 1 and investigated the extent to which these variables individually and combined were able to predict school disruptive behaviours as by rated their teachers in Time 2 using multiple regression. Other Time 2 school variables were also assessed for their ability to add to the predictive model using stepwise hierarchical regression. The results showed both aggression and CU traits were predictive, but that CU traits did not explain additional variance over and above aggression. Two school variables were found to also explain additional variance over and above aggression at a statistically significant level. The first, that subtracted the total number of antisocial peers from total number of prosocial peers, was a stronger predictor than antisocial peers. The second, caregiver’s involvement in assisting their child with school homework, was assumed to represent parental support. Interpretations, limitations and areas for future research are discussed.

The present review sought to clarify and synthesise the existing research of the role parental harshness and parental warmth have on children and adolescents with callous unemotional traits by comparing research across different study designs and study samples in a systematic review. The systematic review search rendered in 16 publications which revealed that callous unemotional traits moderate the relationship between parental harshness as well as parental warmth and behaviour problems in children and adolescents. The moderation effect was directed by the level of callous unemotional trait in the child or adolescent where those with low levels exhibited the most negative effects when exposed to parental harshness. Conversely, children or adolescents with elevated levels exhibited the most positive effects when being exposed to parental warmth. Furthermore, the review revealed that both forms of parenting predict changes in callous unemotional traits over time, where parental harshness increased traits and parental warmth decreased traits. These results are further discussed in relation to the contextual theories of Lykken’s parental competence and socialisation model as well as Kochanska’s conceptual model of conscience development.

Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits are characterized by limited empathy, lack of guilt or remorse, and callous use of others. They are a risk factor for adult psychopathy, especially when comorbid with conduct problems. Thus, efforts to identify risk factors and consequences of CU traits have been prominent. One construct that may act as both a risk factor for and consequence of CU traits among youth is anxiety. While the most consistent finding is in this literature is a negative relation between CU traits and anxiety, findings have been mixed. The present study examined bidirectional relations between three subtypes of anxiety (i.e. physiological anxiety, fear and concentration problems, and worry and oversensitivity), CU traits, and conduct problems over six months among a sample of primarily African American middle school students. Results showed that CU traits at Time 1 were not associated with changes in physiological anxiety, fear and concentration problems, or worry and oversensitivity at Time 2. Similarly, physiological anxiety, fear and concentration problems, and worry and oversensitivity at Time 1 were not associated with increased CU traits at Time 2. Further, no longitudinal relations were found between CU traits and conduct problems. The six-month timeframe may have been too short to see changes in anxiety and CU traits given their stability. The models tested also did not take into account the impact of factors such as distress and trauma which may influence bidirectional relations between CU traits and anxiety.