In Search of Conceptual Clarity About the Structure of Psychopathic Traits in Children: A Network-Based Proposal.

Psychopathic traits in childhood have been revealed as potential identifiers of risk, being predictive of later forms of behavioral maladjustment. Yet, it is still under debate how psychopathic traits in children should be best conceptualized and which are the core dimensions for construct definition and prediction. The present study aims to examine the structure of psychopathic traits in childhood, and its predictive value, by using a combination of traditional factor analysis and more recent network-based methods. Data on psychopathic traits, as measured by the Child Problematic Traits Inventory (CPTI), were collected in a large sample of children (n = 2454; 48.2% girls), aged 3 to 6 at the onset of the study (Mage = 4.26; SD = 0.91), who were followed-up one and two years later using parent- and teacher-reports. Results showed that psychopathic traits measured via CPTI are best conceptualized as five latent factors encompassing grandiosity, deceitfulness, callousness, impulsivity and need of stimulation, a result that converged across informants and time. Callousness and grandiosity emerged as central traits using network analysis of parent-reports, while deceitfulness was most central using teacher-reports. Finally, callousness, impulsivity and deceitfulness emerged as the best predictors of concurrent, prospective and stable conduct problems. These results provide a refined structure of psychopathic traits in children that better accounts for the core elements of the construct. Additional theoretical and practical implications will be discussed in terms of assessment, diagnostic classification and tailored prevention/intervention.

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

The present study aims to further examine the four-factor model of psychopathy in adolescence with a new alternate model for the assessment of psychopathic traits and conduct disorder (CD): The Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder-Short version (PSCD-SV). Data were collected in a sample of 414 adolescents (49.2% females) aged 12-15 at the first assessment who were then followed-up 2 years later. Results supported the usefulness of the PSCD-SV to assess the broader construct of psychopathy showing good psychometric properties, including adequate reliability and validity, while accounting for all its dimensions. In addition, the study showed close associations between psychopathic traits and adolescent behavioral, emotional and psychosocial maladjustment. Finally, the findings elucidated the PSCD's connection to parental support and psychological control, and reinforced the potential role of parenting practices as predictors that can act as mechanisms of change in the development of psychopathy. Overall, current findings shed light on conceptual and developmental models of psychopathy that may have implications for assessment, diagnostic classification, prevention, and intervention.

Developmental Trajectories of Youth Conduct Problems: Testing Later Development and Related Outcomes in a 12-Year Period.

Developmental heterogeneity of youth conduct problems has been widely assumed, leading to the identification of distinctive groups at particular risk of more serious problems later in development. The present study intends to expand the main results of a prior study focused on identifying developmental trajectories of conduct problems (Stable-low, Stable-high, and Decreasing), by analyzing their developmental course and related outcomes during middle/late adolescence and early adulthood. Two follow-up studies were conducted 10 and 12 years after the initial study with 115 and 122 youths respectively (mean = 17.29 and 19.18). Overall results underline that the Early-onset persistent group showed the highest risk-profile; the Childhood-limited group revealed a moderate level of later maladjustment; and the Adolescence-onset group, currently identified, showed a significant peak of risk particularly in middle/late adolescence. These findings provide a more comprehensive representation of youth conduct problems, and open new means of discussion in terms of preventive intervention.

Conduct Problems in Childhood and Adolescence: Developmental Trajectories, Predictors and Outcomes in a Six-Year Follow Up.

Understanding youth conduct problems requires examination from a developmental perspective, analyzing distinctive pathways across childhood and adolescence, and identifying early predictors which will lead to specific adolescent outcomes. Bearing this in mind, developmental trajectories of conduct problems were identified from a person-oriented perspective, and using data collected from three waves over a six-year period, in a sample of Spanish children aged 6-11 at the onset of the study. Conduct problems showed five distinctive trajectories which were grouped into three major pathways in further analyses: Stable low, Stable high, and Decreasing. Associations with early personality and psychopathic traits, as well as with a wide range of adolescent behavioral and psychosocial outcomes were examined, revealing the Stable high group as exhibiting the highest risk profile. These results contribute to improving our knowledge about one of the most relevant problems in youth populations, and will help in refining interventions strategies by recognizing the developmental heterogeneity of the construct.

Emotion Recognition Deficits in Children and Adolescents with Psychopathic Traits: A Systematic Review.

Children and adolescents with psychopathic traits show deficits in emotion recognition, but there is no consensus as to the extent of their generalizability or about the variables that may be moderating the process. The present Systematic Review brings together the existing scientific corpus on the subject and attempts to answer these questions through an exhaustive review of the existing literature according to PRISMA 2020 statement. Results confirmed the existence of pervasive deficits in emotion recognition and, more specifically, on distress emotions (e.g., fear), a deficit that transcends all modalities of emotion presentation and all emotional stimuli used. Moreover, they supported the key role of attention to relevant areas that provide emotional cues (e.g., eye-region) and point out differences according to the presence of disruptive behavior and based on the psychopathy dimension examined. This evidence could advance the current knowledge on developmental models of psychopathic traits. Yet, homogenization of the conditions of research in this area should be prioritized to be able to draw more robust and generalizable conclusions.

The Prognostic Usefulness of Multiple Specifiers for Subtyping Conduct Problems in Early Childhood.

OBJECTIVE: To better describe and treat children with conduct problems (CP), grandiose-manipulative and daring-impulsive traits are proposed for subtyping CP, instead of using only a callous-unemotional specifier. However, the acclaimed benefits of having multiple specifiers for CP remain largely untested and therefore highly speculative. To fill this gap, this study tested longitudinal relations between these 3 specifiers and developmental outcomes in childhood and adolescence, independent of early childhood CP. METHOD: Longitudinal data from 2 community studies were used. Teacher ratings were used to measure CP and the specifiers in 3- to 5-year-olds from Sweden (n = 2,064) and Spain (n = 2,055). Developmental outcomes were assessed by multiple informants (ie, teachers, parents, and children) 1 to 8 years later. RESULTS: Early childhood CP were predictive of all outcomes. Callous-unemotional traits predicted low levels of social competence and prosocial behavior, independent of CP (and age, sex, and socioeconomic status). Grandiose-manipulative and daring-impulsive traits were predictive of aggression and violent delinquency, respectively, independent of CP, but also of higher levels of prosocial behavior or social competence. CONCLUSION: The 3 specifiers are predictive of different outcomes, independent of CP, which is thought to form the basis for developing specifiers for CP. Findings tentatively challenge the centrality of callous-unemotional traits for subtyping CP, but it is premature to conclude that grandiose-manipulative and daring-impulsive specifiers are needed in future revisions of DSM and ICD. Efforts to systematically evaluate the utility of these specifiers should be welcomed to inform ongoing debates on this matter.

Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD) self-report: Factor structure and validation in a community sample of Belgian youth.

The current study examined the psychometric properties of the Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD) in a sample of school-attending adolescent Belgian youth (N = 599; M age = 16.51 years, SD = 1.27). Given the recent interest in the PSCD-Short Version (PSCD-SV), this study focused on the 13-item variant of the PSCD. Study findings showed that the PSCD-SV had a hierarchical four-factor structure including the components of grandiose-manipulative (GM), callous-unemotional (CU), daring-impulsive (DI), and conduct disorder (CD). These interrelated factors were found to be internally consistent. The study also showed that the PSCD-SV total score was positively and significantly related to an alternate measure of psychopathy. Further, the study revealed the PSCD-SV was meaningfully related to the five-factor personality domains (i.e., extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness) as well as peer functioning and prosocial behavior. Bivariate correlations demonstrated that the dimensions differed in their associations with external correlates (e.g., peer functioning). Regression analyses showed that the GM, CU, and CD components of the PSCD-SV were uniquely associated to externalizing difficulties, whereas only the GM and CU components of the PSCD-SV were associated with low prosocial behaviors. These findings shed light on the conceptual and developmental models for the consideration of psychopathy and conduct problems. The use of the broader psychopathy condition as well as its underpinning dimensions may have important implications for assessment, treatment, and diagnostic manuals. The implications of the current study are further discussed.

Fearlessness as an Underlying Mechanism Leading to Conduct Problems: Testing the INTERFEAR Model in a Community Sample in Spain.

Conduct problems (CP) in childhood and adolescence have a significant impact on the individual, family, and community. To improve treatment for CP, there is a need to improve the understanding of the developmental pathways leading to CP in boys and girls. Prior research has linked the child's fearlessness and callous-unemotional (CU) traits, as well as experiences of parental warmth and punitive parenting, to CP. However, few studies have tested the interplay of these factors in contributing to future CP development. The present study aimed to test the InterFear model, which suggests that fearlessness in early childhood leads to CP through an indirect pathway involving low positive parenting, high negative/punitive parenting, and callous-unemotional (CU) traits. The sample included 2467 Spanish children (48.1% girls; Mage = 4.25; SD = 0.91), followed up across a five-year period. Besides a direct association between fearlessness in early childhood and future CP, the results found an indirect pathway whereby fearlessness reduces positive parenting and increases punitive parenting, which contributes to the development of CU traits and sets the stage for CP in later childhood. The specific indirect effect from fearlessness to CP via CU traits accounted for most of the variance, suggesting the existence of a temperamental pathway independent of parental variables. Further, two additional indirect pathways, exclusive of fearlessness, were identified, which started with low parental warmth and positive parenting, leading to CP via CU traits. These findings support the InterFear model, demonstrating multiple pathways to CP with the involvement of fearlessness, parenting practices, and CU traits. This model might play a pivotal role in the development of targeted prevention and intervention strategies for CP.

Adverse childhood experiences and residential care environment: The mediating role of trauma-related symptoms and psychological maladjustment in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Research has consistently found poorer outcomes in adolescents who have been exposed to early interpersonal adversities, especially those in out-of-home placements. The presence of mental health problems also contributes to the perception of a more negative group climate and peer interactions through cascading effects. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the sequential relationships between exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), trauma-related symptoms, psychological maladjustment, and the perception of group climate and peer interactions. In addition, the study analyzes the mediating role of trauma-related symptoms and psychological maladjustment. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The sample comprised 161 adolescents in out-of-home care (46.6 % males, 49.7 % females, 3.7 % non-binary), aged 12-18 (M = 15.22, SD = 1.59) from 24 residential facilities in Spain. METHODS: This study is part of the VRINEP project. Group care workers reported about ACEs and trauma-related symptoms through online questionnaires, whereas adolescents self-reported about psychological maladjustment, group climate, and peer interactions. RESULTS: Differential associations between ACEs with trauma-related symptoms and internalizing problems were found. The relationship between certain ACEs and externalizing problems was fully mediated by trauma-related symptoms. Likewise, psychological maladjustment was related to a more negative perception of the group climate and peer interactions. Although trauma-related symptoms were not directly associated with the perception of the residential environment, they were indirectly associated with peer relational aggression through externalizing problems. CONCLUSIONS: Mental health has a significant impact on the perception of the group climate and peer interactions among adolescents in residential care who have been exposed to ACEs.

The Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD) Scale: Factor Structure and Validation of the Self-Report Version in a Forensic Sample of Belgian Youth.

This is the first study to test the psychometric properties of the self-report version of the Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD) in detained youth. The PSCD is a measure of the broad psychopathy construct, with grandiose-manipulative, callous-unemotional, daring-impulsive, and conduct disorder (CD) components. Participants (227 males) completed the PSCD along with other measures, including a diagnostic interview to assess Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) CD. Results support the PSCD's proposed hierarchical four-factor structure. Correlations with an alternate measure of psychopathy and symptoms of CD support the convergent validity of PSCD scores. PSCD scores showed positive associations with criterion variables of emotional and regulatory functioning, aggression, substance use, and school problems. Finally, PSCD scores were unrelated to anxiety and depression, supporting the PSCD's discriminant validity. Findings indicate that the PSCD is a promising measure for assessing psychopathic traits in detained male adolescents, though its incremental validity is in need of further scrutiny.

Psychometric Properties, Factor Structure, and Validity of the Sensitivity to Threat and Affiliative Reward Scale in Children and Adults.

Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits identify children at high risk of antisocial behavior. A recent theoretical model proposed that CU traits arise from low sensitivity to threat and affiliation. To assess these dimensions, we developed the parent- and self-reported Sensitivity to Threat and Affiliative Reward Scale (STARS) and tested its psychometric properties, factor structure, and construct validity. Samples 1 (N =3 03; age 3-10; United States) and 2 (N = 854 age 5-9; Spain) were children and Sample 3 was 514 young adults (Mage = 19.89; United States). In Sample 1, differential item functioning and item response theory techniques were used to identify the best-performing items from a 64-item pool, resulting in 28 items that functioned equivalently across age and gender. Factor analysis indicated acceptable fit for the theorized two-factor structure with separate threat and affiliation factors in all three samples, which showed predictive validity in relation to CU traits in children and psychopathic traits in young adults.

Disentangling the role of psychopathic traits and externalizing behaviour in predicting conduct problems from childhood to adolescence.

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.

Psychopathic Personality Configurations in Early Childhood: A Response to Dvoskin et al. (2022).

Dvoskin et al. (2022) offered a cautionary comment on an article published in the Journal of Personality Disorders (López-Romero et al., 2021). This comment was focused on the scientific and policy grounds of our study, and cautioned against the use of the "putative psychopathic personality" label for applied purposes. While we agree with most of their concerns and cautions, we aim to provide additional clarification on the raised concerns, noting that the purpose of our study is purely exploratory, and that its findings are not intended for applied purposes. We do expect that our study and this commentary will further clarify the importance of examining psychopathic personality from a developmental perspective, opening new ways of discussion regarding how to best conceptualize and study a construct that, while waiting for additional longitudinal research, has been shown as relevant in identifying a group of children and adolescents at increased risk for maladjustment.

Reputation management of adolescents in relation to antisocial behavior.

Recent studies have emphasized the need to consider psychosocial and motivational variables in the study of antisocial behavior in adolescents. Thus, several studies have highlighted the importance of reputation management as a possible explanatory factor. This process of reputation management enables young people to form an image of themselves that they may use in their social interactions. In this study the authors carried out an investigation with data from a sample of 493 adolescents and analyzed (a) the relationships between adolescent reputation management and antisocial behavior and (b) the role of gender in this relationship. The results revealed that a perceived social identity as nonconforming was the best predictor of adolescent antisocial behavior, especially for girls, The data support previous findings on the importance of considering the establishment and management of reputation in the analysis of adolescent antisocial behavior.

Psychopathic Traits in Childhood: Insights from Parental Warmth and Fearless Temperament via Conscience Development.

The role of psychopathic traits in predicting more serious and persistent patterns of child conduct problems has been well documented. The jointly presence of interpersonal (grandiose-deceitful), affective (e.g., callous-unemotional), and behavioral psychopathic traits (impulsive-need of stimulation) identifies a group of children at increased risk of psychosocial maladjustment. The present study aims to disentangle the underlying mechanisms by examining how early parenting (i.e., warmth) and child temperament (i.e., fearlessness) predict later psychopathic traits, via conscience development (CD). Data were collected in a large sample of children (n = 2.266; 48.5% girls), aged 3 to 6 at the onset of the study (Mage = 4.25; SD = 0.91), who were followed up one and two years later. The results showed direct effects from fearlessness to interpersonal and behavioral psychopathic traits. Parental warmth, fearless temperament, and their interaction, predicted CD, which, in turn, showed a negative effect on psychopathic traits. The indirect effects indicated significant negative mediation effects of warmth through CD on psychopathic traits, which seem to be stronger when children present lower levels of fearlessness. Overall, these results contribute to better understand the development of child psychopathic traits and provide additional insight on effective strategies that will help to restrain the potential development of a high-risk profile in early childhood.

Studying Configurations of Psychopathic Traits: Exploring the Viability of Psychopathic Personality in Early Childhood.

The idea that very young children can manifest a constellation of personality traits that looks like psychopathy has rarely been explored. To fill this void, data from 2,247 children, aged 3-6 years (M = 4.25; SD = 0.91), from the Estudio Longitudinal para una Infancia Saludable (ELISA) were utilized. Parents and teachers completed questionnaires at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Using three parent-rated psychopathy dimensions as indicators, the authors conducted latent profile analysis and arrived at five latent classes: Control (39.2%), Impulsive-Need for Stimulation (34.8%), Grandiose-Deceitful (16.5%), Callous-Unemotional (6.2%), and Putative Psychopathic Personality (PP, 3.3%). Children in the PP class, overall, engaged in higher levels of concurrent, future, and stable conduct problems and reactive and proactive aggression, and lower levels of prosocial behavior, as rated by parents or teachers. Findings also revealed meaningful differences between the remaining four classes. Person-oriented analyses seem to offer a fruitful avenue to identify 3-to 6-year-olds who exhibit a putative psychopathic personality and are at risk for future maladjustment.

A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Test of the Low Sensitivity to Threat and Affiliative Reward (STAR) Model of Callous-Unemotional Traits Among Spanish Preschoolers.

Despite advances in the theoretical and empirical literature, a better understanding of the etiological determinants of callous-unemotional (CU) traits is needed. In this study, we tested the hypotheses advanced by the Sensitivity to Threat and Affiliative Reward (STAR) model, a theoretical framework, which proposes that individual differences in two temperament dimensions, fearlessness and low affiliation, jointly contribute to the development of CU traits. Specifically, we examined the unique and interactive effects of fearlessness and low affiliation on CU traits, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally and within and across informants (teachers and parents) in a large community sample of Spanish preschoolers (N = 2467, 48.1% girls, M = 4.25 years; SD = 0.91). Both fearlessness and low affiliation were independently related to higher CU traits across models. Consistent with the purported relationships outlined in the STAR model, we also found that a significant interaction between fearlessness and low affiliation explained unique variance in CU traits. The results suggested that main and interactive effects were specific to CU traits and not to other related dimensions of psychopathic traits that are measurable in early childhood (i.e. grandiose-deceitfulness and impulse need of stimulation). Thus, we provide new empirical support to the hypotheses generated by the STAR model in relation to the development of CU traits. Fearlessness and low affiliation are potential targets of future child-focused interventions to prevent or treat the development of CU traits and childhood conduct problems.

Goals during adolescence and their relationship with antisocial behavior.

In recent years, psychological research has emphasized the role of goals in adolescent development and, particularly, in the development of socially adapted lifestyles. Along those lines, the present study, analyzing data collected from a sample of 488 participants, explores: a) The structure of adolescent goals and their importance for young people, b) The relationship between adolescent goals and antisocial behavior and c) The role of gender in this relationship. The results show that adolescent goals are structured according to 6 factors: Social Recognition, Emancipation, Education, Physical-Athletic, Antisocial and Interpersonal-Familial. Educational and emancipative goals appear to be most important for young people. In addition, it has been found that there are significant correlations between certain types of goals and adolescent antisocial behavior, as well as significant gender differences. The data reflect the need to incorporate motivational dimensions into explanatory models of adolescent behavioral problems.

Assessing Psychopathic Traits Among Children: The First Validation Study of the Child Problematic Traits Inventory in a Clinical Sample.

This is the first study that tested the psychometric properties of the Child Problematic Traits Inventory (CPTI) in clinic-referred children (ages 6-13 years). Teachers (N = 159) and parents (N = 173) completed the CPTI and various other measures. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the CPTI's three-factor structure when teachers and parents rated the 28 CPTI items. Teacher- and parent-reported CPTI scores showed the expected relations with external correlates (e.g., conduct problems and proactive aggression). Crucially, the validity of the CPTI scores was also supported across informants (i.e., when linking teacher-reported CPTI scores to parent-reported external correlates, and vice versa) and across methods (i.e., regardless if a questionnaire or a diagnostic interview was used to measure external correlates). We conclude that the CPTI holds promise as a research tool for assessing psychopathic traits in clinic-referred children. Until our findings have been replicated and extended, the CPTI should not be used for clinical decision making.

Testing the Effects of COVID-19 Confinement in Spanish Children: The Role of Parents' Distress, Emotional Problems and Specific Parenting.

The present study aimed to examine the effects of the Spanish confinement derived from the COVID-19 crisis on children and their families, accounting for child's age. A range of child negative (e.g., conduct problems) and positive outcomes (e.g., routine maintenance) were examined, along with a set of parent-related variables, including resilience, perceived distress, emotional problems, parenting distress and specific parenting practices (e.g., structured or avoidant parenting), which were modeled through path analysis to better understand child adjustment. Data were collected in April 2020, with information for the present study provided by 940 (89.6%) mothers, 102 (9.7%) fathers and 7 (0.7%) different caregivers, who informed on 1049 Spanish children (50.4% girls) aged 3 to 12 years (Mage = 7.29; SD = 2.39). The results suggested that, according to parents' information, most children did not show important changes in behavior, although some increasing rates were observed for both negative and positive outcomes. Child adjustment was influenced by a chain of effects, derived from parents' perceived distress and emotional response to the COVID-19 crisis, via parenting distress and specific parenting practices. While parenting distress in particular triggered child negative outcomes, specific parenting practices were more closely related to child positive outcomes. These findings may help to better inform, for potential future outbreaks, effective guidelines and prevention programs aimed at promoting the child's well-being in the family.