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Callous-unemotional (CU) traits have recently been added to the diagnostic criteria of Conduct Disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fifth edition and of conduct–dissocial and oppositional defiant disorders in the International Classification of Disease–Eleventh edition as the limited prosocial emotions specifier. This change necessitates the assessment of these traits with validated measures in both research and clinical contexts. The current study sought to validate a semi-structured diagnostic interview method, the Michigan Limited Prosocial Emotion Addendum (M-LPE) to the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children–Present and Lifetime Version, of assessing CU traits based on a recently developed clinician rating system (Clinical Assessment of Prosocial Emotions, Version 1.1) in a sample of at-risk youth. Results supported the interrater reliability of the M-LPE with moderate agreement and high reliability between raters. The M-LPE demonstrated convergent and incremental validity with CU traits and various measures of antisocial behavior. The results provide preliminary evidence for the use of a semi-structured interview assessment of CU traits in research contexts and build the foundation for further validation.

The current study tested whether a self-report measure of aggression (i.e., the Peer Conflict Scale; PCS) would predict later delinquency, after controlling for other risk factors, and tested whether the different forms and functions of aggression contributed independently to this prediction. Self-report of aggression was assessed at the time of first arrest, and both self-report of delinquency and official arrests were assessed at 5 different time points over a 30-month follow-up period in a sample of male adolescent offenders (N = 1,216; Mage = 15.12, SD = 1.29 years) arrested in 3 regions (i.e., western, southern, northeast) of the United States. Aggression predicted both later total and later violent self-reported delinquency (odds ratio [OR] = 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI: 1.01, 1.02]), even after controlling for youths' self-reported lifetime history of delinquent acts and callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e., Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits) collected at initial arrest. Further, only self-reported aggression (but not lifetime delinquency and CU traits) contributed independently (OR = 1.02, 95% CI [1.00, 1.03]) to the prediction of arrests for violent offenses. Finally, the predictive utility of aggression was largely accounted for by physical and reactive aggression, with limited incremental prediction provided by relational and proactive aggression. These findings support the potential utility of self-reports of aggression, such as the PCS, when assessing risk for future violence. Findings also suggest that the utility of these self-reports of aggression cannot be solely accounted for by other risk factors often included in typical risk assessment tools. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective The current study investigated the social and interpersonal correlates of callous-unemotional (CU) traits using peer nominations. Method Participants (N = 289) were children in Grades 3, 6, and 8 (Mage = 11.47 years, 40.1% male, 64.7% self-identified racial/ethnic minority) from two public school systems in the southern United States. Participants were asked to identify peers they believed fit a number of different characteristics hypothesized to be related to CU traits, in addition to individuals they “liked most” and “liked least.” We also obtained self- and teacher ratings of CU traits and parent and teacher ratings of conduct problems (CP). Results Factor analyses extracted three dimensions from peer nominations developed from past research describing social characteristics related to CU traits—being mean and aloof (Mean/Cold), untrustworthy and not nice (Not Nice), and dominant and manipulative (Desire for Dominance). Results indicated that CU traits were significantly associated with fewer “liked most” and greater “liked least” nominations, but not after controlling for CP. In contrast, both CP and CU traits were significantly independently associated with Mean/Cold nominations, and only CU traits were associated with Not Nice nominations when controlling for CP. Conclusions The findings from the current study suggest that CU traits are largely associated with traditional indices of peer rejection because of their level of CP. However, they contribute independently to perceptions of being mean, aloof, and untrustworthy. Thus, interventions focused on strengthening the social skills of children with elevated CU traits should consider ways to change these negative peer perceptions.

Cognitive impairment among seriously mentally ill offenders has implications for legal matters (e.g., competency to stand trial), as well as clinical treatment and care. Thus, being able to identify potential cognitive concerns early in the adjudication process can be important when deciding on further interventions. In this study, we examined the validity scales of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), scores on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (WAIS-IV), and competency findings in male inmates (n=61) diagnosed with a serious mental illness. Lower scores on the WAIS-IV significantly (p=0.001) predicted invalid, versus valid, PAI profiles, with working memory impairment being the most significant (p=0.004) predictor of an invalid profile. Ancillary analyses on a smaller sample (n=18) indicate that those with invalid PAI profiles were more likely to be deemed legally incompetent (p=0.03). These findings suggest that the PAI validity scales may be informative in detecting cognitive concerns and help clinicians make determinations about competency restoration and treatment.