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Annual Research Review: A developmental psychopathology approach to understanding callous-unemotional traits in children and adolescents with serious conduct problems
Frick, Paul Ray, James V. Thornton, Laura Kahn, Rachel E.
Frick, Paul
Ray, James V.
Thornton, Laura
Kahn, Rachel E.
Abstract
Recent research has suggested that the presence of significant levels of callous‐unemotional (CU) traits designates a clinically important and etiologically distinct subgroup of children and adolescents with serious conduct problems. Based on this research, CU traits have been included in the most recent revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th Edition (DSM‐5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) – as a specifier for the diagnosis of conduct disorder. In this review, we attempt to understand CU traits within a developmental psychopathological framework. Specifically, we summarize research on the normal development of the prosocial emotions of empathy and guilt (i.e., conscience) and we illustrate how the development of CU traits can be viewed as the normal development of conscience gone awry. Furthermore, we review research on the stability of CU traits across different developmental periods and highlight factors that can influence this stability. Finally, we highlight the implications of this developmental psychopathological framework for future etiological research, for assessment and diagnostic classification, and for treatment of children with serious conduct problems.
Keywords
Callous-unemotional traits, developmental psychopathology, conscience, empathy, guilt, stability
Date
2013
Type
Journal article
Journal
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Book
Volume
55
Issue
6
Page Range
532-548
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education (ILSTE)
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
File Access
Controlled