Disentangling the Role of Psychopathic Traits and Externalizing Behaviour in Predicting Conduct Problems from Childhood to Adolescence

Overview

Journal J Youth Adolesc

Specialties Pediatrics
Psychology
Social Sciences

Date 2012 Aug 7

PMID 22865303

Citations 7

Authors

Laura Lopez-Romero

Estrella Romero

M Angeles Luengo

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Child and youth conduct problems are known to be a heterogeneous category that implies different factors and processes. The current study aims to analyze whether the early manifestation of psychopathic traits designates a group of children with severe, pervasive and persistent conduct problems. To this end, cluster analysis was conducted in a sample of 138 children (27.6 % female), aged 6-11 at the first wave of the study (T1) and 12-17 in a follow-up carried out 6 years later (T2). Results allowed the identification of four distinctive clusters: Primarily externalizing, Externalizing-psychopathic, Primarily psychopathic and Non-problematic. As was expected, the Externalizing-psychopathic cluster showed the most severe and persistent pattern of behavioral, temperamental and social disruptions across the 6 years of the study. Early psychopathic traits seemed also to be relevant in predicting higher levels of conduct problems in T2, even when conduct disorders had not manifested in T1. These results highlight the role of psychopathic traits in predicting adolescent psychosocial disorders and the relevance to analyze them at early developmental stages.

Citing Articles

Associations of observed callous-unemotional behaviors in early childhood with conduct problems and substance use over 14 years.

Donohue M, Hoyniak C, Tillman R, Barch D, Luby J Dev Psychopathol. 2023; 35(1):421-432.

PMID: 36914291 PMC: 10014890. DOI: 10.1017/S0954579421000791.

Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder-Short Version (PSCD-SV): Psychometric Properties, Concurrent Correlates and Parenting Predictors.

Lopez-Romero L, Cutrin O, Maneiro L, Salekin R Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2022; 54(5):1258-1273.

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Using the biopsychosocial model for identifying subgroups of detained juveniles at different risk of re-offending in practice: a latent class regression analysis approach.

de Ruigh E, Bouwmeester S, Popma A, Vermeiren R, van Domburgh L, Jansen L Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2021; 15(1):33.

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Does the Interplay of Callous-Unemotional Traits and Moral Disengagement Underpin Disruptive Behavior? A Systematic Review.

Paciello M, Ballarotto G, Cerniglia L, Muratori P Adolesc Health Med Ther. 2020; 11:9-20.

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Conduct disorders and psychopathy in children and adolescents: aetiology, clinical presentation and treatment strategies of callous-unemotional traits.

Pisano S, Muratori P, Gorga C, Levantini V, Iuliano R, Catone G Ital J Pediatr. 2017; 43(1):84.

PMID: 28931400 PMC: 5607565. DOI: 10.1186/s13052-017-0404-6.

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