Childhood behavior problems and adverse economic outcomes: a 30-year population-based study of intergenerational income mobility.

BACKGROUND: The objectives of this study were to (a) assess the associations between early behavioral problems and intergenerational income mobility (i.e., the degree to which income status is transmitted from one generation to the next), (b) verify whether these associations are moderated by child sex, and (c) explore indirect effects of early behavioral problems on income mobility via high school graduation. METHODS: Data were drawn from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children (n = 3,020; 49.17% girls). Participants were followed from age 6 to 37 years. Measures included parents' and teachers' ratings of behavioral problems at age 6 years as well as participants' (ages 30-35 years) and their parents' (when participants were aged 10-19 years) income data obtained from tax return records. Regression models were used to predict upward and downward mobility (i.e., increased or decreased income status from one generation to the next) from attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems, conduct/opposition problems, depression/anxiety problems, prosociality, and the quality of children's relationship with their caregiver. Two-way interaction effects between behavioral problems and child sex were examined and indirect effect models including high school graduation as a mediator of these associations were conducted. RESULTS: Despite their higher educational attainment, females had lower incomes and experienced lower upward (but higher downward) income mobility than males. For both females and males, higher levels of attention-deficit/hyperactivity and conduct/opposition problems were associated with decreased odds of upward mobility, whereas higher levels of attention-deficit/hyperactivity were associated with increased odds of downward mobility. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems, conduct/opposition problems as well as low prosociality were associated with lower educational attainment (no high school diploma), which in turn was associated with increased odds of downward mobility. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight the importance of providing intensive support to children with early behavioral problems as a means of improving educational attainment and intergenerational income mobility.

Associations between callous-unemotional traits and psychopathology in a sample of adolescent females.

Background: Callous-unemotional (CU) traits (e.g., lack of empathy and guilt, deficient affect) have been associated with severe and persistent patterns of conduct problems and antisocial behaviour as well as with poorer treatment outcomes. They are now a specifier to the diagnosis of conduct disorder. Objective: To examine the associations between CU traits and a wide set of psychopathological symptoms (e.g., anxiety, conduct disorder) in a sample of adolescent females. Method: 200 adolescent females (M = 15.55 years, SD = 1.64) recruited from French high schools located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (n = 150) and from units/resources managed by the Montreal Youth Center (n = 50) self-reported on their levels of CU traits and psychopathological symptoms. Results: Participants recruited from high schools, compared to their counterparts from the youth center, had lower scores on most of the scales and subscales of CU traits and psychopathology. The total score of CU traits as well as the callousness-uncaring dimension were correlated with externalizing symptoms for the participants from the schools and from the youth center. However, the total score of CU traits as well as the unemotional dimension were correlated with internalizing symptoms especially among participants from the schools. Conclusions: Our analyses revealed differences in the patterns of associations depending on the subscales of CU traits and across sample types (i.e., school subsample versus youth center subsample), which should be considered in the assessment of psychopathology in these populations.

Contexte: Les traits d'insensibilité émotionnelle (IE) (p. ex., manque d'empathie, faible sentiment de culpabilité, affect déficient) sont associés à des problèmes de conduite et des comportements antisociaux graves et persistants ainsi qu'à une plus faible réponse au traitement. Ils sont maintenant utilisés à titre de spécificateur du trouble des conduites. Objectif: Examiner les associations entre les traits IE et un vaste ensemble de symptômes psychopathologiques (p. ex., anxiété, trouble des conduites) dans un échantillon d'adolescentes. Méthode: Deux cents adolescentes (M = 15,55 ans, ET = 1,64) recrutées dans des écoles secondaires francophones de Montréal, Québec, Canada (n = 150) et dans des services/ressources du Centre jeunesse de Montréal (n = 50) ont autorapporté leurs niveaux de traits IE et leurs symptômes psychopathologiques. Résultats: Les participantes recrutées dans les écoles secondaires, comparées à leurs homologues du centre jeunesse, avaient des scores plus faibles à la plupart des échelles et des sous-échelles de traits IE et de psychopathologie. Le score total des traits IE de même que la dimension insensibilité-indifférence étaient corrélés avec les symptômes extériorisés pour les participantes des écoles et du centre jeunesse. Cependant, le score total des traits IE ainsi que la dimension insensibilité-indifférence étaient corrélés avec les symptômes intériorisés plus spécifiquement chez les participantes des écoles. Conclusions: Les analyses révèlent différents patrons d'associations en fonction des sous-échelles de traits IE et des types d'échantillons (c.-à-d., le sous échantillon de l'école comparativement au sous-échantillon du centre jeunesse), qui devraient être pris en compte dans l'évaluation de la psychopathologie au sein de ces populations.

Perinatal and early-life factors associated with stable and unstable trajectories of psychopathic traits across childhood.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to identify perinatal and early-life factors associated with trajectories of psychopathic traits across childhood. METHODS: Participants were 1631 children (51.5% girls) from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. A wide range of perinatal and early-life factors were assessed from pregnancy to age 2.5 years using medical files and mothers' reports. Psychopathic traits were assessed via teachers' reports at ages 6, 7, 8, 10, and 12 years. Latent class growth analyses and multinomial logistic regressions controlling for child sex were conducted. Two-way interaction effects between perinatal/early-life factors and child sex were explored. RESULTS: Four trajectories of psychopathic traits were identified: High-stable (4.48%), Increasing (8.77%), Decreasing (11.46%), and Low-stable (75.29%). A few perinatal factors and most child-level and family-level early-life factors significantly increased the odds of following the High-stable v. the Low-stable trajectory. Higher levels of psychotropic exposures during pregnancy, socioeconomic adversity, child's physical aggression, child's opposition, mother's depressive symptoms, and hostile parenting increased the likelihood of following the Increasing instead of the Low-stable trajectory. Higher socioeconomic adversity, mother's depressive symptoms, and inconsistent parenting were associated with membership to the High-stable instead of the Decreasing trajectory. Most associations were not moderated by child sex. CONCLUSIONS: These results shed light on the perinatal and early-life factors that are associated with specific pathways of psychopathic traits during childhood and suggest that different factors could be targeted to prevent the exacerbation (v. low and stable levels) or the stability at high levels (v. attenuation) of these traits.

Childhood psychopathic traits and mental health outcomes in adolescence: compensatory and protective effects of positive relationships with parents and teachers.

We identified mental health outcomes associated with specific developmental trajectories of psychopathic traits across childhood and tested whether positive relationships with parents and teachers have compensatory or protective effects. Participants were 1401 children (52.82% girls) from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development with available data on teacher-reported psychopathic traits (ages 6-12 years) and self-reported mental health outcomes (ages 15-17 years). Parents and teachers reported their levels of positive relationship with the child (ages 6-8 and 10-12 years). Trajectories of psychopathic traits (High-stable, Increasing, Decreasing, and Low-stable) were included as predictors of mental health outcomes (e.g., conduct disorder, anxiety) in structural equation models controlling for child sex, family SES, and earlier psychopathology. Compensatory effects were tested via main effects of positive relationships and protective effects were tested via their interactive effects with trajectories memberships. When compared to the Low-stable trajectory of psychopathic traits, the High-stable, Increasing, and Decreasing trajectories were associated with distinct sets of mental health outcomes, with children from the Increasing trajectory being at higher risk for both externalizing and internalizing psychopathology. Positive relationships with parents and teachers only partially compensated for these effects. Findings suggest that clinicians cannot expect the detrimental effects associated with psychopathic traits to be entirely prevented by children's positive relationships with parents and/or teachers. This study reinforces the importance of providing intensive preventive interventions to elementary school children with high levels of psychopathic traits to prevent the long-term negative consequences associated with these traits.

Emotion Facial Processing in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study of the Impact of Service Dogs.

Processing and recognizing facial expressions are key factors in human social interaction. Past research suggests that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present difficulties to decode facial expressions. Those difficulties are notably attributed to altered strategies in the visual scanning of expressive faces. Numerous studies have demonstrated the multiple benefits of exposure to pet dogs and service dogs on the interaction skills and psychosocial development of children with ASD. However, no study has investigated if those benefits also extend to the processing of facial expressions. The aim of this study was to investigate if having a service dog had an influence on facial expression processing skills of children with ASD. Two groups of 15 children with ASD, with and without a service dog, were compared using a facial expression recognition computer task while their ocular movements were measured using an eye-tracker. While the two groups did not differ in their accuracy and reaction time, results highlighted that children with ASD owning a service dog directed less attention toward areas that were not relevant to facial expression processing. They also displayed a more differentiated scanning of relevant facial features according to the displayed emotion (i.e., they spent more time on the mouth for joy than for anger, and vice versa for the eyes area). Results from the present study suggest that having a service dog and interacting with it on a daily basis may promote the development of specific visual exploration strategies for the processing of human faces.

School-aged children with sexual behavior problems: Untangling the relationship between externalizing behavior problems and non-sexual victimization on the variety and severity of sexual behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Sexual behavior problems (SBP) in school-aged children is a social concern that draws increased attention amongst child protection services and practitioners. Past research that highlighted the variety in profiles and in behavioral manifestations of children with SBP emphasizes the importance of a well-informed and sensitive approach for appropriate intervention. However, studies validating the theoretically hypothesized vulnerability of children with SBP remains scarce. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to further our understanding of the risk factors that influence the variety and severity of SBP. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Eighty-eight child-adult dyads (35.2% girls, Mage = 9.1 years; SD = 2.2 years) referred for SBP by child protection services or public services between 2006 and 2010 participated in the study. Participants completed a series of questionnaires as part of their assessment in a specialized therapeutic center for SBP. METHODS: A theoretical model of risk factors was examined using multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Amongst the factors identified, externalizing behavior problems were the most strongly associated with the variety (ß = .50; p < 0.001) and severity of SBP (ß = .40; p < .001). Non-sexual victimization experiences (e.g., exposure to family violence) were also associated with a greater variety (ß = .30; p < .001) and severity of SBP (ß = .36; p < .001), while sexual abuse alone was not. CONCLUSIONS: This study outlines the high co-occurrence of SBP, externalizing behaviors and non-sexual victimization, which should raise concern for the assessment of the children and to further adapt treatment strategies and goals.

The Hoosier Vocal Emotions Corpus: A validated set of North American English pseudo-words for evaluating emotion processing.

This article presents the development of the "Hoosier Vocal Emotions Corpus," a stimulus set of recorded pseudo-words based on the pronunciation rules of English. The corpus contains 73 controlled audio pseudo-words uttered by two actresses in five different emotions (i.e., happiness, sadness, fear, anger, and disgust) and in a neutral tone, yielding 1,763 audio files. In this article, we describe the corpus as well as a validation study of the pseudo-words. A total of 96 native English speakers completed a forced choice emotion identification task. All emotions were recognized better than chance overall, with substantial variability among the different tokens. All of the recordings, including the ambiguous stimuli, are made freely available, and the recognition rates and the full confusion matrices for each stimulus are provided in order to assist researchers and clinicians in the selection of stimuli. The corpus has unique characteristics that can be useful for experimental paradigms that require controlled stimuli (e.g., electroencephalographic or fMRI studies). Stimuli from this corpus could be used by researchers and clinicians to answer a variety of questions, including investigations of emotion processing in individuals with certain temperamental or behavioral characteristics associated with difficulties in emotion recognition (e.g., individuals with psychopathic traits); in bilingual individuals or nonnative English speakers; in patients with aphasia, schizophrenia, or other mental health disorders (e.g., depression); or in training automatic emotion recognition algorithms. The Hoosier Vocal Emotions Corpus is available at https://psycholinguistics.indiana.edu/hoosiervocalemotions.htm.

The Associations between Callous-unemotional Traits and Symptoms of Conduct Problems, Hyperactivity and Emotional Problems: A Study of Adolescent Twins Screened for Neurodevelopmental Problems.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits (e.g., lack of empathy, lack of guilt, shallow affect) are associated with severe and persistent conduct problems in youth. There is evidence showing a substantial genetic correlation between CU traits and conduct problems. The etiological associations between CU traits and other psychopathological symptoms, including symptoms of hyperactivity and emotional problems (such as anxiety and depression symptoms), have been less explored. To examine the etiological associations between CU traits and symptoms of conduct problems, hyperactivity and emotional problems separately through the use of a twin design. Participants were same-sex twin pairs (n = 426 twins; 42% female; 43% MZ; age = 15) drawn from the Child and Adolescents Twin Study in Sweden, a longitudinal study of twins born in Sweden. The sample was mainly composed of children who screenpositive on neurodevelopmental problems/mental health problems or at-risk children (i.e., screen-negative children considered to be genetically at-risk siblings). We used self-report measures of CU traits, conduct problems, hyperactivity and emotional problems. Model-fitting analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling. We found a strong positive genetic correlation between CU traits and conduct problems and a moderate genetic correlation between CU traits and hyperactivity. We also found a relatively modest, but significant negative genetic correlation between CU traits and emotional problems. Using a sample of adolescent twins screened for neurodevelopmental problems, we replicated previous findings that showed a strong genetic correlation between CU traits and conduct problems and we extended research by examining further the etiological associations between CU traits and symptoms of hyperactivity and emotional problems.

Diminished Neural Responses to Emotionally Valenced Facial Stimuli: A Potential Biomarker for Unemotional Traits in Early Childhood.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are characterized by deficits in guilt/empathy, shallow affect, and the callous and manipulative use of others. Individuals showing CU traits have increased risk for behavior problems and reduced responses to displays of distress in others. To explore how deficits in emotion-processing are associated with CU traits, the current study examined the association between callous-unemotionality and a neural index of facial emotion processing, using the event-related potential technique in a group of 3-5 year olds. Children viewed a series of static emotional faces, depicting either fear or happiness, while electroencephalography data were collected. The N170 component, thought to index the neural processes associated with face perception, was examined along with CU traits. Findings suggest that the unemotional dimension of CU traits is associated with diminished emotion-processing responses to fearful faces. Reduced neural responses to facial depictions of fear could be a biomarker for unemotional traits in early childhood.

Trajectories of Callous-Unemotional Traits in Childhood Predict Different Forms of Peer Victimization in Adolescence.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits (e.g., lack of empathy and guilt) differentiate a group of children at particularly high risk for engaging in aggressive behavior, notably bullying. However, little is known about whether youths with CU traits are at risk for being victimized by their peers. We examined the associations between trajectories of CU traits in childhood (between 7 and 12 years old) and peer victimization in adolescence (14 years old). The participants were drawn from the Twins Early Development Study, a longitudinal population-based study of twins born in England and in Wales. The trajectories of CU traits (i.e., stable high, increasing, decreasing and stable low) were identified through general growth mixture modeling. Four forms of peer victimization were considered: physical victimization, verbal victimization, social manipulation, and attacks on property. We found that youths with stable high levels, increasing levels, and decreasing levels of CU traits in childhood had higher levels of physical victimization in adolescence, not explained by other predictors at age 7 (e.g., conduct problems). Youths with increasing levels of CU traits, compared with the ones with stable low levels, also had higher levels of verbal victimization, social manipulation, and attacks on property. Our findings highlight the importance of distinct trajectories of CU traits in accounting for the experience of different forms of peer victimization. Youths with CU traits may benefit from bullying prevention programs, as they are likely to be the targets of peer victimization.

Reduced neural responses to vocal fear: a potential biomarker for callous-uncaring traits in early childhood.

OBJECTIVE: Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are characterized by a lack of guilt and empathy, and low responsiveness to distress and fear in others. Children with CU traits are at-risk for engaging in early and persistent conduct problems. Individuals showing CU traits have been shown to have reduced neural responses to others' distress (e.g., fear). However, the neural components of distress responses in children with CU traits have not been investigated in early childhood. In the current study, we examined neural responses that underlie the processing of emotionally valenced vocal stimuli using the event-related potential technique in a group of preschoolers. METHOD: Participants between 2 and 5 years old took part in an auditory oddball task containing English-based pseudowords spoken with either a fearful, happy, or a neutral prosody while electroencephalography data were collected. The mismatch negativity (MMN) component, an index of the automatic detection of deviant stimuli within a series of stimuli, was examined in association with two dimensions of CU traits (i.e., callousness-uncaring and unemotional dimensions) reported by primary caregivers. RESULTS: Findings suggest that the callousness-uncaring dimension of CU traits in early childhood is associated with reduced responses to fearful vocal stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced neural responses to vocal fear could be a biomarker for callous-uncaring traits in early childhood. These findings are relevant for clinicians and researchers attempting to identify risk factors for early callous-uncaring traits.

Links between trajectories of self-reported violent and nonviolent offending and official offending during adolescence and adulthood.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the associations between self-reported offending and official offending whilst considering different types of offences. AIMS: The aims of the present study are to identify developmental trajectories of self-reported violent and nonviolent offending (SRVO; SRNVO) and to examine their associations with official violent and nonviolent offences (as juveniles and adults). METHODS: Developmental trajectories of SRVO and SRNVO from 11 to 17 years of age were estimated with data from the Montreal Longitudinal and Experimental Study, a prospective longitudinal study of 1037 boys from disadvantaged neighbourhoods. RESULTS: Five trajectories of SRVO (i.e. Chronic, Desisting, Delayed, Moderate and Low) and three trajectories of SRNVO (Chronic, Moderate and Low) were identified. Chronic, Desisting and Delayed trajectories of SRVO were associated with violent and nonviolent official offending in adolescence and early adulthood, over and above the trajectories of SRNVO. In comparison, trajectories of SRNVO were weakly and inconsistently associated with official offending, once controlling for their overlap with trajectories of SRVO. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals on high trajectories of violent offending during adolescence are most at risk for being exposed to the justice system both concurrently and longitudinally. Differentiating violent and nonviolent offending can help resolve part of the discordance between self-reported and official offending.

Teenage childbirth and young adult criminal convictions: A quasi-experimental study of criminal outcomes for teenage mothers.

PURPOSE: Teenage childbirth is associated with poor psychosocial outcomes for teen mothers. One example is that teen mothers have higher rates of antisocial behavior. The extant research has not been able to determine if teenage motherhood is independently associated with criminal behavior, or if the association is due to selection factors associated with both teenage childbirth and criminal behavior. METHODS: We used longitudinal data from Swedish national registers and sibling-comparisons (both full- and half-siblings) to identify the extent to which there is an independent association between teenage childbirth and mothers' likelihood of criminal conviction between ages 20-30, or if the association is confounded by familial (including genetic or environmental) factors that make sisters similar. RESULTS: Women who began childbearing as teenagers were more likely to be convicted of a crime in young adulthood compared to women who delayed childbearing. When sisters were compared, the association between teenage childbirth and criminal convictions disappeared. Multivariate behavior genetic analyses suggest genetic and shared environmental account for the association. CONCLUSIONS: The statistical association between teenage childbirth and early adulthood criminal convictions is confounded by genetic and shared environmental factors that influence both the likelihood of teenage childbirth and risk of early adulthood criminal conviction.

Neural responses to affective and cognitive theory of mind in children with conduct problems and varying levels of callous-unemotional traits.

CONTEXT: Reduced neural responses to others' distress is hypothesized to play a critical role in conduct problems coupled with callous-unemotional traits, whereas increased neural responses to affective stimuli may accompany conduct problems without callous-unemotional traits. Heterogeneity of affective profiles in conduct problems may account for inconsistent neuroimaging findings in this population. OBJECTIVES: To broaden understanding of neural processing in conduct problems using an affective processing task including an empathy component as well as to explore dimensional contributions of conduct problems symptoms and callous-unemotional traits to variance in affective neural responses. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: On-campus neuroimaging facility. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-one boys with conduct problems (mean age, 14.34 years) and 16 typically developing control subjects (mean age, 13.51 years) matched for age (range, 10-16 years), IQ, socioeconomic status, handedness, and race/ethnicity. Participants were recruited using screening questionnaires in a community-based volunteer sample. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Functional magnetic resonance imaging of a task contrasting affective and cognitive theory of mind judgments. RESULTS: Relative to typically developing children, children with conduct problems showed reduced activation in right amygdala and anterior insula for affective vs cognitive theory of mind judgments. Furthermore, in the right amygdala, regression analysis within the conduct-problems group showed suppressor effects between ratings of conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits. Specifically, unique variance associated with conduct problems was positively correlated with amygdala reactivity, whereas unique variance associated with callous-unemotional traits was negatively correlated with amygdala reactivity. These associations were not explained by hyperactivity, depression/anxiety symptoms, or alcohol use ratings. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood conduct problems are associated with amygdala and anterior insula hypoactivity during a complex affective processing task including an empathy component. Suppressor effects between conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits in the amygdala suggest a potential neural substrate for heterogeneity in affective profiles associated with conduct problems.

Antisocial behaviour in children with and without callous-unemotional traits.

More than 15 years of research have documented behavioural differences between callous-unemotional and non-callous subtypes of children with antisocial behaviour. Recent studies also suggest that children with callous-unemotional traits may be genetically vulnerable to antisocial behaviour, while those without callous-unemotional traits appear to have primarily environmental aetiology to their antisocial behaviour. Furthermore neurocognitive profiles differ between antisocial children with and without callous-unemotional traits. While the former group appears emotionally under-reactive, particularly to others' distress, the latter group may be emotionally over-reactive, particularly to perceived threat. In this review we provide an overview of the current evidence base with regard to callous-unemotional and non-callous subgroups of children with antisocial behaviour and discuss the implications of the current evidence base for prevention and intervention. This overview selectively focuses on recent advances in this area of research, as well as earlier studies where these help set the research context.

Neural processing associated with cognitive and affective Theory of Mind in adolescents and adults.

Theory of Mind (ToM) is the ability to attribute thoughts, intentions and beliefs to others. This involves component processes, including cognitive perspective taking (cognitive ToM) and understanding emotions (affective ToM). This study assessed the distinction and overlap of neural processes involved in these respective components, and also investigated their development between adolescence and adulthood. While data suggest that ToM develops between adolescence and adulthood, these populations have not been compared on cognitive and affective ToM domains. Using fMRI with 15 adolescent (aged 11-16 years) and 15 adult (aged 24-40 years) males, we assessed neural responses during cartoon vignettes requiring cognitive ToM, affective ToM or physical causality comprehension (control). An additional aim was to explore relationships between fMRI data and self-reported empathy. Both cognitive and affective ToM conditions were associated with neural responses in the classic ToM network across both groups, although only affective ToM recruited medial/ventromedial PFC (mPFC/vmPFC). Adolescents additionally activated vmPFC more than did adults during affective ToM. The specificity of the mPFC/vmPFC response during affective ToM supports evidence from lesion studies suggesting that vmPFC may integrate affective information during ToM. Furthermore, the differential neural response in vmPFC between adult and adolescent groups indicates developmental changes in affective ToM processing.

Predictors and outcomes of joint trajectories of callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems in childhood.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are associated with antisocial and delinquent behaviors in children and represent a potential risk factor for adult psychopathy. However, there is a paucity of longitudinal research that explores the development of these traits, their longitudinal association with conduct problems (CP), and their psychosocial predictors and outcomes. Using a large sample of children followed longitudinally from the Twins Early Development Study (N=9,578), we described the joint developmental trajectories of CU traits and CP during childhood (between ages 7 and 12) and examined the child- and family-level predictors (4 years old) and concomitant outcomes (12 years old) associated with the trajectories. The developmental trajectories were characterized with teachers' ratings of CU traits and CP from ages 7 to 12. Using general growth mixture modeling, we identified four trajectories of CU traits (stable high, increasing, decreasing, and stable low) and two trajectories of CP (high and low). Compared with the children who followed a low trajectory of CU traits and CP, those who followed a high trajectory of CU traits and CP had more negative child- and family-level predictors at 4 years (including CP, hyperactivity, negative parental discipline, and chaos in the home). Children with high or increasing levels of CU traits and concomitant high levels of CP presented the most negative outcomes at 12 years (including hyperactivity, peer problems, emotional problems, and negative parental feelings). Children with high CU traits and concomitant high levels of CP in childhood should be prioritized for targeted intervention.

Etiology of different developmental trajectories of callous-unemotional traits.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the longitudinal development of callous-unemotional traits (CU) in middle childhood using developmental trajectory analyses in a large twin dataset and examine the degree to which genetic and environmental influences contributed to the CU trajectory-group membership in children. METHOD: The study included 9,462 youths from the Twins Early Development Study, a population-based sample of twins from the United Kingdom. Developmental trajectories were described using teachers' ratings of CU at 7, 9, and 12 years old. RESULTS: We identified four trajectories of CU through general growth mixture modeling: stable high, increasing, decreasing, and stable low. In most cases, the trajectory-group membership was largely driven by genetic and to a lesser extent by nonshared environmental influences for boys and girls. The most notable exception was a strong contribution of shared environment for the girls in the stable-high trajectory group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest distinct developmental trajectories of CU from childhood to early adolescence, which are in most cases influenced by genetic factors and, to a lesser degree, by nonshared environmental factors. Highest heritability was observed for boys on a stable-high CU trajectory. Interestingly, the trajectory-group membership for girls on a stable-high CU trajectory appeared to be almost entirely driven by shared environmental influences. These differences in the etiology of stable-high CU in boys and girls have potential implications for clinical practice and studies attempting to identify genetic and environmental risk factors for high CU.

Testing the developmental distinctiveness of male proactive and reactive aggression with a nested longitudinal experimental intervention.

An experimental preventive intervention nested into a longitudinal study was used to test the developmental distinctiveness of proactive and reactive aggression. The randomized multimodal preventive intervention targeted a subsample of boys rated disruptive by their teachers. These boys were initially part of a sample of 895 boys, followed from kindergarten to 17 years of age. Semiparametric analyses of developmental trajectories for self-reported proactive and reactive aggression (between 13 and 17 years of age) indicated three trajectories for each type of aggression that varied in size and shape (Low, Moderate, and High Peaking). Intent-to-treat comparisons between the boys in the prevention group and the control group confirmed that the preventive intervention between 7 and 9 years of age, which included parenting skills and social skills training, could impact the development of reactive more than proactive aggression. The intervention effect identified in reactive aggression was related to a reduction in self-reported coercive parenting. The importance of these results for the distinction between subtypes of aggressive behaviors and the value of longitudinal-experimental studies from early childhood onward is discussed.

Negative parental discipline, conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits: monozygotic twin differences study.

BACKGROUND: Negative parenting practices may be an environmental risk factor for subsequent conduct problems. Research on the association between parenting practices and callous-unemotional traits, a risk factor for conduct problems, has produced mixed findings. AIMS: To investigate whether negative parental discipline is a non-shared environmental risk factor for the development of conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits. METHOD: Longitudinal, multi-informant data from a community sample of twins were analysed using the monozygotic (MZ) twin differences design for 4508 twins (2254 twin pairs). RESULTS: Within MZ twin pairs, the twin receiving more negative parental discipline at 7 years had more conduct problems (but not more callous-unemotional traits) at 12 years. CONCLUSIONS: During the transition to early adolescence, negative parental discipline operates as a non-shared environmental risk factor for development of conduct problems, but not for the development of callous-unemotional traits.