The importance of callous-unemotional traits for extending the concept of psychopathy to children.
This study focused on the use of callous-unemotional (CU) traits to identify a subgroup of children with both attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a conduct problem diagnosis (oppositional defiant disorder [ODD] or conduct disorder [CD] who show characteristics similar to adults with psychopathy. In a clinic-referred sample of children aged 6 to 13 years (N = 154), those with diagnoses of both ADHD and ODD/CD were divided on the basis of teacher ratings of CU traits. Children high on these traits showed features typically associated with psychopathy, such as a lack of fearfulness and a reward-dominant response style. Furthermore, children with CU traits seemed less distressed by their behavior problems. These findings are consistent with research on adults showing that impulsivity and antisocial behavior alone are insufficient to document persons who fit the construct of psychopathy.
Barry
Christopher T
CT
U Alabama.
Frick
Paul J
PJ
0000-0001-7335-1299
DeShazo
Tammy M
TM
McCoy
Monique
M
Ellis
Mesha
M
Loney
Bryan R
BR
D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010551:Personality; D010553:Personality Development; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012201:Reward; D012309:Risk-Taking; D014888:Wechsler Scales; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology