Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-wxhwt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-14T23:23:09.493Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Personality risk for antisocial behavior: Testing the intersections between callous–unemotional traits, sensation seeking, and impulse control in adolescence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 May 2017

Frank D. Mann ,
Sara L. Paul ,
Jennifer L. Tackett ,
Elliot M. Tucker-Drob  and
K. Paige Harden
Frank D. Mann
Affiliation:
University of Texas at Austin
Sara L. Paul
Affiliation:
University of Texas at Austin
Jennifer L. Tackett
Affiliation:
Northwestern University
Elliot M. Tucker-Drob
Affiliation:
University of Texas at Austin
K. Paige Harden*
Affiliation:
University of Texas at Austin
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Frank D. Mann, Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 East Dean Keeton Stop A8000, Austin, TX 78712-1043; E-mail: frankdmann@utexas.edu.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The current project seeks to integrate literatures on personality risk for antisocial behavior (ASB) by examining how callous–unemotional traits relate to (a) the development of disinhibited traits and (b) the association between disinhibited traits and ASB. In Study 1, using a nationally representative sample of youth (N > 7,000), we examined whether conduct problems and lack of guilt assessed during ages 4–10 years predicted levels of and changes in disinhibited traits over the course of adolescence, and moderated associations between these traits and ASB. High levels of childhood conduct problems were associated with higher levels of impulsivity, sensation seeking, and ASB in early adolescence, whereas lack of guilt was associated with lower levels of sensation seeking. Neither conduct problems nor lack of guilt significantly predicted changes in impulsivity or sensation seeking, and associations among changes in sensation seeking, impulsivity, and ASB were also consistent across levels of conduct problems and lack of guilt. In Study 2, using a cross-sectional sample of adolescents (N = 970), we tested whether callous–unemotional traits moderated associations between disinhibited traits and ASB. Consistent with the results of Study 1, associations between disinhibited personality and ASB were consistent across a continuous range of callous–unemotional traits.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , February 2018 , pp. 267 - 282
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5). Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Bechtold, J., Cavanagh, C., Shulman, E. P., & Cauffman, E. (2014). Does mother know best? Adolescent and mother reports of impulsivity and subsequent delinquency. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43, 1903–1913.Google Scholar
Benning, S. D., Patrick, C. J. Hicks, B. M., Blonigen, D. M., & Krueger, R. F. (2003). Factor structure of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory: Validity and implications for clinical assessment. Psychological Assessment, 15, 340–350.Google Scholar
Byck, G. R., Swann, G., Schalet, B., Bolland, J., & Mustanski, B. (2015). Sensation seeking predicting growth in adolescent problem behaviors. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 46, 466–473.Google Scholar
Casey, B. J. (2015). Beyond simple models of self-control to circuit-based accounts of adolescent behavior. Annual Review of Psychology, 66, 295–319.Google Scholar
Casey, B. J., Jones, R. M., & Somerville, L. H. (2011). Braking and accelerating of the adolescent brain. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21, 21–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cauffman, E., Shulman, E. P., Steinberg, L., Claus, E., Banich, M. T., Graham, S., & Woolard, J. (2010). Age differences in affective decision making as indexed by performance on the Iowa Gambling Task. Developmental Psychology, 46, 193–207.Google Scholar
Center for Human Resource Research, Ohio State University. (2009). NLSY79 Child & Young Adult data users guide. Columbus, OH: Author.Google Scholar
Chase-Lansdale, P. L., Mott, F. L., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Phillips, D. A. (1991). Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth: A unique research opportunity. Developmental Psychology, 27, 918–931.Google Scholar
Cooper, M. L., Wood, P. K., Orcutt, H. K., & Albino, A. (2003). Personality and the predisposition to engage in risky or problem behaviors during adolescence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 390–410.Google Scholar
Cross, C. P., Copping, L. T., & Campbell, A. (2011). Sex differences in impulsivity: A meta-analysis. Pyschological Bulletin, 137, 97–130.Google Scholar
Cross, C. P., Cyrenne, D. L. M., & Brown, G. R. (2013). Sex differences in sensation-seeking: A meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 3, 1–5.Google Scholar
Dick, D. M., Smith, G., Olausson, P., Mitchell, S. H., Leeman, R. F., O'Malley, S. S., & Sher, K. (2010). Review: Understanding the construct of impulsivity and its relationship to alcohol use disorders. Addiction Biology, 15, 217–226.Google Scholar
Elkins, I. J., King, S. M., McGue, M., & Iacono, W. G. (2006). Personality traits and the development of nicotine, alcohol, and illicit drug disorders: Prospective links from adolescence to young adulthood. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115, 26–39.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elliott, D. S., & Huizinga, D. (1983). Social class and delinquent behavior in a national youth panel: 1976–1980. Criminology, 21, 149–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Essau, C. A., Sasagawa, S., & Frick, P. J. (2006). Callous-unemotional traits in a community sample of adolescents. Psychological Assessment, 13, 454–469.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fontaine, N. M., McCrory, E. J., Boivin, M., Moffitt, T. E., & Viding, E. (2011). Predictors and outcomes of joint trajectories of callous–unemotional traits and conduct problems in childhood. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 12, 730–742.Google Scholar
Frick, P. J. (2009). Extending the construct of psychopathy to youths: Implications for understanding, diagnosing, and treating antisocial children and adolescents. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 12, 803–812.Google Scholar
Frick, P. J., Lilienfeld, S. O., Ellis, M., Loney, B., & Silverthorn, P. (1999). The association between anxiety and psychopathy dimensions in children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 27, 383–392.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frick, P. J., & Ray, J. V. (2014). Evaluating callous-unemotional traits as a personality construct. Journal of Personality, 83, 710–722.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frick, P. J., Ray, J. V., Thornton, L. C., & Kahn, R. E. (2014). Can callous-unemotional traits enhance the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of serious conduct problems in children and adolescents? A comprehensive review. Psychological Bulletin, 140, 1–57.Google Scholar
Frick, P. J., Ray, J. V., Thornton, L. C., & Kahn, R. E. (2015). Annual research review: A developmental psychopathology approach to understanding callous-unemotional traits in children and adolescents with serious conduct problems. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55, 532–548.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frick, P. J., & Viding, E. (2009). Antisocial behavior from a developmental psychopathology perspective. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 1111–1131.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frick, P. J., & White, S. F. (2008). Research review: The importance of callous-unemotional traits for developmental models of aggressive and antisocial behavior. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49, 359–375.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Galvan, A., Hare, T., Voss, H., Glover, G., & Casey, B. J. (2007). Risk-taking and the adolescent brain: Who is at risk? Developmental Science, 10, F8–F14.Google Scholar
Giannotta, F., & Rydell, A. M. (2015). The prospective links between hyperactive/impulsive, inattentive, and oppositional-defiant behaviors in childhood and antisocial behavior in adolescence: The moderating influence of gender and the parent–child relationship quality. Child Psychiatry & Human Development. Advance online publication.Google Scholar
Harden, K. P., D'onofrio, B. M., Van Hulle, C., Turkheimer, E., Rodgers, J. L., Waldman, I. D., & Lahey, B. B. (2009). Population density and youth antisocial behavior. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50, 999–1008.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harden, K. P., Quinn, P. D., & Tucker-Drob, E. M. (2012). Genetically influenced change in sensation seeking drives the rise of delinquent behavior during adolescence. Developmental Science, 15, 150–163.Google Scholar
Harden, K. P., & Tucker-Drob, E. M. (2011). Individual differences in the development of sensation seeking and impulsivity during adolescence: Further evidence for a dual systems model. Developmental Psychology, 47, 739–746.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harden, K. P., Tucker-Drob, E. M., & Tackett, J. L. (2013). The Texas twin project. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 16, 385–390.Google Scholar
Hare, R. D. (2003). The Hare PCL-R Checklist—Revised (2nd ed.). Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.Google Scholar
Hare, R. D., Harpur, T. J., Hakstian, A. R., Forth, A. E., Hart, S. D., & Newman, J. P. (1990). The Revised Psychopathy Checklist: Reliability and factor structure. Psychological Assessment, 2, 338–341.Google Scholar
Hittner, J. B., & Swickert, R. (2006). Sensation seeking and alcohol use: A meta-analytic review. Addictive Behaviors, 31, 1383–1401.Google Scholar
Jöreskog, K. G. (1969). A general approach to confirmatory maximum likelihood factor analysis. Psychometrika, 32, 183–202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kimonis, E. R., Frick, P. J., Skeem, J. L., Marsee, M. A., Cruise, K., Munoz, L. C., … Morris, A. S. (2008). Assessing callous–unemotional traits in adolescent offenders: Validation of the Inventory of Callous–Unemotional Traits. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 31, 241–252.Google Scholar
Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Lahey, B. B., Loeber, R., Quay, H. C., Applegate, B., Shaffer, D., Waldman, I., … Dulcan, M. K. (1998). Validity of DSM-IV subtypes of conduct disorder based on age of onset. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 37, 435–442.Google Scholar
Laviola, G., Macri, S., Morley-Fletcher, S., & Adriani, W. (2003). Risk-taking behavior in adolescent mice: Psychobiological determinants and early epigenetic influence. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 27, 19–31.Google Scholar
Lilienfeld, S. O., & Andrews, B. P. (1996). Development and preliminary validation of a self-report measure of psychopathic personality traits in noncriminal populations. Journal of Personality Assessment, 66, 488–524.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Littlefield, A. K., & Sher, K. J. (2010). The multiple, distinct ways that personality contributes to alcohol use disorders. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 4, 767–782.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Littlefield, A. K., Sher, K. J., & Steinley, D. (2010). Developmental trajectories of impulsivity and their association with alcohol use and related outcomes during emerging and young adulthood. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 34, 1409–1416.Google Scholar
Lotze, G. M., Ravindran, N., & Myers, B. J. (2010). Moral emotions, emotion self-regulation, callous-unemotional traits, and problem behavior in children of incarcerated mothers. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19, 702–713.Google Scholar
Lynam, D. R. (1996). Early identification of chronic offenders: Who is the fledgling psychopath? Psychological Bulletin, 120, 209–234.Google Scholar
Lynam, D. R., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., Raine, A., Loeber, R., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (2005). Adolescent psychopathy and the Big Five: Results from two samples. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 431–443.Google Scholar
Lynne-Landsman, S. D., Graber, J. A., Nichols, T. R., & Botvin, G. J. (2011). Trajectories of aggression, delinquency, and substance use across middle school among urban, minority adolescents. Aggressive Behavior, 37, 161–176.Google Scholar
Mann, F. D., Kretsch, N., Tackett, J. L., Harden, K. P., & Tucker-Drob, E. M. (2015). Person × Environment interactions on adolescent delinquency: Sensation seeking, peer deviance and parental monitoring. Personality and Individual Differences, 76, 129–134.Google Scholar
McArdle, J. J. (2009). Latent variable modeling of differences and changes with longitudinal data. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 577–605.Google Scholar
McArdle, J. J., & Nesselroade, J. R. (2003). Growth curve analysis in contemporary psychological research. In Schinka, J. A. & Veilcer, W. F. (Eds.), Handbook of psychology: Research methods in psychology (3rd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 447–480). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Meredith, W., & Tisak, J. (1990). Latent curve analysis. Psychometrika, 55, 107–122.Google Scholar
Moffitt, T. E. (1993). Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: A developmental taxonomy. Psychological Review, 100, 674–701.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moffitt, T. E. (2003). Life-course-persistent and adolescence-limited antisocial behavior: A 10-year research review and a research agenda. Causes of conduct disorder and juvenile delinquency (pp. 49–75). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Moffitt, T. E. (2006). Life-course persistent versus adolescence-limited antisocial behavior. In Cicchetti, D. & Cohen, D. J. (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology: Vol. 3. Risk, disorder, and adaptation (pp. 570–598). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.Google Scholar
Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (1998–2012). Mplus user's guide (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Author.Google Scholar
Newcomb, M. D., & McGee, L. (1991). Influence of sensation seeking on general deviance and specific problem behaviors from adolescence to young adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 614–628.Google Scholar
Odgers, C. L., Caspi, A., Nagin, D. S., Piquero, A. R., Slutske, W. S., Milne, B. J., … Moffitt, T. E. (2008). Is it important to prevent early exposure to drugs and alcohol among adolescents? Psychological Science, 19, 1037–1044.Google Scholar
Pardini, D. A., & Byrd, A. L. (2012). Perceptions of aggressive conflicts and others’ distress in children with callous-unemotional traits: “I'll show you who's boss, even if you suffer and I get in trouble.” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 53, 283–291.Google Scholar
Pardini, D. A., Lochman, J. E., & Powell, N. (2007). The development of callous-unemotional traits and antisocial behavior in children: Are there shared and/or unique predictors? Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 36, 319–333.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pardini, D. A., Obradovic, J., & Loeber, R. (2006). Interpersonal callousness, hyperactivity/impulsivity, inattention, and conduct problems as precursors to delinquency persistence in boys: A comparison of three grade-based cohorts. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 35, 46–59.Google Scholar
Patrick, C. J., & Drislane, L. E. (2015). Triarchic model of psychopathy: Origins, operationalizations, and observed linkages with personality and general psychopathology. Journal of Personality, 63, 627–643.Google Scholar
Patrick, C. J., Fowles, D. C., & Krueger, R. F. (2009). Triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy: Developmental origins of disinhibition, boldness, and meanness. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 913–938.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Patrick, C. J., Fowles, D. C., & Krueger, R. F. (2009). Triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy: Developmental origins of disinhibition, boldness, and meanness. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 913–938.Google Scholar
Rabe-Hesketh, S., & Skrondal, A. (2006). Multilevel modeling of complex survey data. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), 169, 805–827.Google Scholar
Schafer, J. L., & Graham, J. W. (2002). Missing data: Our view of the state of the art. Psychological Methods, 7, 147–177.Google Scholar
Shulman, E. P., Harden, K. P., Chein, J. M., & Steinberg, L. (2015). Sex differences in the developmental trajectories of impulse control and sensation-seeking from early adolescence to early adulthood. Journal of Youth and Adolescence , 44, 1–17.Google Scholar
Shulman, E. P., Smith, A. R., Silva, K., Icenogle, G., Duell, N., Chein, J., & Steinberg, L. (2016). The dual systems model: Review, reappraisal, and reaffirmation. Developmental Neuroscience, 17, 103–117.Google Scholar
Sijtsema, J. J., Veenstra, R., Lindenberg, S., van Roon, A. M., Verhulst, F. C., Ormel, J., & Riese, H. (2010). Mediation of sensation seeking and behavioral inhibition on the relationship between heart rate and antisocial behavior: The TRAILS study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49, 493–502.Google ScholarPubMed
Snowden, R. J., & Gray, N. S. (2011). Impulsivity and psychopathy: Associations between the Barrett Impulsivity Scale and the Psychopathy Checklist revised. Psychiatry Research, 187, 414–417.Google Scholar
Somerville, L. H., Jones, R. M., & Casey, B. J. (2010). A time of change: Behavioral and neural correlates of adolescent sensitivity to appetitive and aversive environmental cues. Brain and Cognition, 72, 124–133.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Steiger, J. H. (1990). Structural model evaluation and modification: An interval estimation approach. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 25, 173–180.Google Scholar
Steinberg, L. (2008). A social neuroscience perspective on adolescent risk-taking. Developmental Review, 28, 78–106.Google Scholar
Steinberg, L., Albert, D., Cauffman, E., Banich, M., Graham, S., & Woolard, J. (2008). Age differences in sensation seeking and impulsivity as indexed by behavior and self-report: Evidence for a dual systems model. Developmental Psychology, 44, 1764–1778.Google Scholar
Tucker-Drob, E. M. (2009). Differentiation of cognitive abilities across the life span. Developmental Psychology, 45, 1097–1118.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Viding, E., Jones, A. P., Paul, J. F., Moffitt, T. E., & Plomin, R. (2008). Heritability of antisocial behaviour at 9: Do callous-unemotional traits matter? Developmental Science, 11, 17–22.Google Scholar
Vitacco, M. J., & Rogers, R. (2001). Predictors of adolescent psychopathy: The role of impulsivity, hyperactivity, and sensation seeking. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 29, 374–382.Google Scholar
Walton, K. E., Krueger, R. F., Elkins, I., D`Accordo, C., McGue, M., & Iacono, W. G. (2016). Personality traits predict the developmental course of externalizing: A four-wave longitudinal study spanning age 17 to age 29. Journal of Personality. Advance online publication. doi:10.1111/jopy.12245 Google Scholar
Whiteside, S. P., & Lynam, D. R. (2001). The Five Factor Model and impulsivity: Using a structural model of personality to understand impulsivity. Personality and Individual Differences, 30, 669–689.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whiteside, S. P., Lynam, D. R., Miller, J. D., & Reynolds, S. K. (2005). Validation of the UPPS impulsive behaviour scale: A four-factor model of impulsivity. European Journal of Personality, 19, 559–574.Google Scholar
Wirth, R. J., & Edwards, M. C. (2007). Item factor analysis: Current approaches and future directions. Psychological Methods, 12, 58–79.Google Scholar
Zuckerman, M. (2007). Sensation seeking and risk. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar