Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.
J Youth Adolesc. 2013 Jul;42(7):964-79. doi: 10.1007/s10964-013-9958-9. Epub 2013 May 5.
Callous-unemotional traits are believed to be a childhood precursor to psychopathy, and among youth with conduct problems they designate those showing a particularly severe, stable, and aggressive pattern of antisocial behavior. Youth with callous-unemotional traits are a heterogeneous population and, analogous to adults with psychopathy, research suggests that lower anxious primary and high-anxious secondary variants exist. Using a community sample of 2,306 Greek-Cypriot adolescents (M age = 16 years; 49.7 % female), the first aim of the study was to examine whether variants of callous-unemotional traits could be identified using latent profile analysis of scores on measures of callous-unemotional traits, conduct problems, and anxiety. Additional aims of the study were to compare the identified clusters on external measures theorized to distinguish them (i.e., self-esteem, narcissism, impulsivity, sensation seeking and proactive/reactive aggression) and social factors relevant to adolescent development. Results indicated that, in addition to low risk (i.e., low scores on callous-unemotional traits, conduct problems, and anxiety) and anxious (i.e., high scores on anxiety, low scores on callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems) subgroups, two groups of youth scoring high on callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems were identified. High-anxious secondary callous-unemotional variants were distinguished by lower self-esteem in combination with greater narcissism, aggression, and markedly higher conduct problems, whereas lower anxious primary variants showed higher self-esteem. Secondary callous-unemotional variants also reported greater susceptibility to peer pressure and popularity striving than primary variants. Both variants exhibited poorer outcomes relative to low risk and anxious youth, although anxious youth reported lower self-esteem and higher impulsivity and reactive aggression scores in comparison with low risk youth. Findings integrate two lines of inquiry focused on subtyping children and adults with psychopathic traits and antisocial behaviors. They also support the utility of subtyping callous-unemotional traits based on conduct problems and anxiety levels and provide information on common and distinct risk factors associated with primary and secondary callous-unemotional variants in a community sample of adolescent boys and girls.
冷酷无情的特征被认为是精神病态的儿童前体,在有行为问题的年轻人中,他们指定那些表现出特别严重、稳定和攻击性反社会行为的人。具有冷酷无情特征的年轻人是一个异质群体,与精神病态的成年人类似,研究表明存在较低焦虑原发性和较高焦虑继发性变体。使用 2306 名希腊塞浦路斯青少年(M 年龄= 16 岁;49.7%为女性)的社区样本,研究的第一个目的是通过对冷酷无情特征、行为问题和焦虑测量得分进行潜在剖面分析,来检验是否可以确定冷酷无情特征的变体。研究的额外目的是比较在理论上区分它们的外部测量(即自尊、自恋、冲动、感觉寻求和主动/反应性攻击)和与青少年发展相关的社会因素上确定的聚类。结果表明,除了低风险(即冷酷无情特征、行为问题和焦虑得分低)和焦虑(即焦虑得分高,冷酷无情特征和行为问题得分低)亚组外,还确定了两组冷酷无情特征和行为问题得分高的青年群体。高焦虑继发性冷酷无情变体的特点是自尊心较低,同时伴有更高的自恋、攻击性和明显更高的行为问题,而低焦虑原发性变体的自尊心较高。继发性冷酷无情变体也报告说比原发性变体更容易受到同伴压力和追求人气的影响。与低风险和焦虑的年轻人相比,这两种变体的表现都较差,尽管与低风险的年轻人相比,焦虑的年轻人的自尊心较低,冲动性和反应性攻击得分较高。研究结果将两条专注于亚类型儿童和有精神病特征和反社会行为的成年人的研究路线结合起来。它们还支持基于行为问题和焦虑水平对冷酷无情特征进行亚类型分类的有效性,并提供了与社区样本中青少年男孩和女孩的原发性和继发性冷酷无情变体相关的常见和独特风险因素的信息。
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