title: Callous/unemotional traits and social-cognitive processes in adjudicated youths.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There seem to be two dimensions associated with psychopathic traits in youths: a callous/unemotional factor (C/U) and an impulsivity/conduct problems factor (I/CP). This study sought to clarify the nature of these two factors and examine their relation with social-cognitive problems in incarcerated adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred sixty-nine male and female adjudicated youths were recruited for participation. Self-report measures and archival data were used to assess psychopathic traits, emotional distress, behavioral dysregulation, social-cognitive processes, and delinquency severity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analyses demonstrated that the I/CP factor is associated with increased levels of dysregulated behavior, while the C/U dimension is related to deficits in empathy. The two factors exhibited differential relations with measures of emotional distress and fearfulness. C/U traits were associated with an increased focus on the positive aspects of aggression and a decreased focus on the negative aspects of hostile acts. Findings remained after controlling for demographic characteristics, abuse history, intellectual abilities, and delinquency severity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results provide support for the two-dimensional nature of psychopathy in youths and suggest that C/U traits are associated with lower emotional distress and a specific social information-processing pattern. The potential implications for working with adjudicated youths exhibiting C/U traits are noted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA.
authors.forename: Dustin A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Pardini
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lochman
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Frick
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D007174:Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D011329:Prisoners; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires