Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
Document Type
Dissertation
Abstract
Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are the affective dimensions of psychopathy that are integrated into diagnostic systems for childhood disruptive behavior disorders based on findings that they identify youth with a unique developmental trajectory contributing to their antisocial behavior. However, past studies attempting to extend this theory to predict unique and more severe outcomes for these youth have yielded mixed results, particularly when considering the incremental predictive utility of these traits over and above concurrent antisocial behavior. The current study investigated the longitudinal predictive utility of CU traits in a sample of 1,216 justice-involved adolescents who were followed for seven years into early adulthood. Growth models of CU traits throughout adolescence were used to predict a variety of adult outcomes. Adult outcomes included several outcomes that were hypothesized to be uniquely related to CU traits, including aggression, financially-motivated crime, and social impairment. In addition, analyses included a strong control of antisocial behavior by accounting for both the level and degree of change of antisocial behavior throughout adolescence. Results indicated that adolescent CU traits predicted a variety of adult impairments in antisocial and social domains. Several of these predictions were due to the presence of antisocial behavior in adolescence and were no longer significant after accounting for the trajectory of antisocial behavior. However, even after controlling for adolescent antisocial behavior, CU traits incrementally predicted several adulthood outcomes, including more arrests, greater aggression, and lower quality relationships with both friends and romantic partners. Results support the clinical utility of CU traits in identifying risk for future impairment and highlight the need for effective intervention for youth with elevated CU traits.
Date
5-27-2025
Recommended Citation
Vaughan, Erin P., "Predictive and Incremental Validity of Callous-Unemotional Traits: Longitudinal Prediction of Antisocial and Social Outcomes in Adulthood" (2025). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 6806.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/6806
Committee Chair
Frick, Paul