title: Emotional reactivity in referred youth with disruptive behavior disorders: the role of the callous-unemotional traits.
abstract: Deficits in emotional reactivity are frequently reported in Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBDs). A deficit in prosocial emotions, namely the callous unemotional traits (CU), may be a mediator of emotional reactivity. Our aim is to investigate subjective emotional reactivity towards visual stimuli with different affective valence in youths with DBDs and healthy controls. The clinical sample included 62 youths with DBDs (51 males, 8 to 16 years, mean 11.3±2.1 years), the control group 53 subjects (36 males, 8 to 16 years, mean 10.8±1.5 years). The groups were compared using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU), and the International Affective Picture System (IAPS), which explores the affective (pleasant/unpleasant emotional reaction) and arousal (low/high intensity of emotion) dimensions. The DBD group presented higher scores in externalizing and internalizing CBCL scores, and in ICU callous and indifferent subscales. At the IAPS, DBD patients differed from controls in the affective valence of the images, rating less unpleasant neutral and negative images. The CU traits were the only predictor of emotional reactivity in the DBD sample. A less aversive way to interpret neutral and negative stimuli may explain why DBD patients are less responsive to negative reinforcements.
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Stella Maris, Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy. Electronic address: gabriele.masi@inpe.unipi.it.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Masi
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Stella Maris, Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Annarita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milone
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Second University of Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pisano
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Stella Maris, Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy; Clinical-Experimental Department of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Messina Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lenzi
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Stella Maris, Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Muratori
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Stella Maris, Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gemo
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Stella Maris, Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.affiliation: Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, I.R.C.C.S. Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mazzone
authors.affiliation: Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, I.R.C.C.S. Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Postorino
authors.affiliation: Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, I.R.C.C.S. Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sanges
authors.affiliation: University of Rome Sapienza, Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, I.R.C.C.S. Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vicari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011897:Random Allocation; D012017:Referral and Consultation
keywords: Antisocial behavior; Callous-unemotional traits; Conduct disorder; Oppositional defiant disorder; Psychopathy; Subjective emotional reactivity