Assessing callous-unemotional traits in adolescent offenders: validation of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits.
The presence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits designates an important subgroup of antisocial youth. To improve upon existing measures, the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU) was developed to provide an efficient, reliable, and valid assessment of CU traits in samples of youth. The current study tests the factor structure and correlates of the ICU scale in a sample (n=248) of juvenile offenders (188 boys, 60 girls) between the ages of 12 and 20 (M=15.47, SD=1.37). Confirmatory factor analyses are consistent with the presence of three independent factors (i.e., Uncaring, Callousness, and Unemotional) that relate to a higher-order callous-unemotional dimension. Also, CU traits overall showed associations with aggression, delinquency, and both psychophysiological and self-report indices of emotional reactivity. There were some important differences across the three facets of the ICU in their associations with these key external criteria.
Kimonis
Eva R
ER
Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, Louis de la Parte Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, 13301 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33612, USA. kimonis@fmhi.usf.edu
Frick
Paul J
PJ
Skeem
Jennifer L
JL
Marsee
Monica A
MA
Cruise
Keith
K
Munoz
Luna C
LC
Aucoin
Katherine J
KJ
Morris
Amanda S
AS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D004645:Empathy; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology; D015144:Southeastern United States