Callous-unemotional traits and conduct disorder symptoms as prospective risk factors for adolescent sexual activity

Longitudinal Associations Between Primary and Secondary Psychopathic Traits, Delinquency, and Current Dating Status in Adolescence

Many have examined the desirability and mate competition tactics of adults higher on psychopathy using cross-sectional data, but few have studied the longitudinal associations between the lower-order factors of psychopathy (e.g., primary and secondary psychopathy) with indices of mating behavior in adolescents. More work is also needed to unravel how psychopathic youth outcompete rivals for mates. Delinquency has long been associated with dating and sexual behavior in adolescents, which may help to explain the competitive success of youth higher in psychopathic traits in vying for mates. We used cross-lagged panel modeling with three waves of data from a randomly drawn sample of 514 Canadian adolescents who provided annual self-reports of primary and secondary psychopathy, delinquency, and dating involvement from Grades 10 to 12 (15-18 years of age). Constructs were temporally stable. Secondary psychopathy and delinquency had positive within-time correlations with current dating status in Grade 10. A cross-lagged pathway from delinquency to dating involvement was supported from Grade 10 to 11, which replicated from Grade 11 to 12. However, this effect was specific to boys and not girls. An indirect effect also emerged whereby secondary psychopathy in Grade 10 increased the likelihood of being in a dating relationship in Grade 12 via heightened delinquency in Grade 11.

Sexually transmitted infections among adolescents with conduct disorder: a nationwide longitudinal study

Studies have demonstrated that conduct disorder is related to risky sexual behaviors, the dominant risk factor for contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI). However, the association between conduct disorder and STIs remains unclear. Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, 5733 adolescents with conduct disorder and 22,932 age- and sex-matched controls without conduct disorder were enrolled from 2001 to 2009 and were subject to follow-up until the end of 2011. Participants who contracted any STI during the follow-up period were identified. Cox regression analysis was performed to examine the likelihood of subsequently contracting an STI for patients and controls. Patients with conduct disorder were more likely than controls to develop any STI (HR 3.95, 95% CI 2.97-5.26) after adjusting for demographic data, psychiatric comorbidities, and use of medications. Long-term use of second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) was related to a reduced risk (HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.14-0.91) of developing an STI among patients with conduct disorder. Adolescents with conduct disorder had an increased risk of developing any STI later in life compared with those without conduct disorder. Long-term use of SGAs was associated with a lower risk of subsequent STI.

Do Callous-Unemotional Traits and Conduct Disorder Symptoms Predict the Onset and Development of Adolescent Substance Use?

Despite strong evidence of the relationship between conduct disorder (CD) symptoms and substance use, it is unclear how callous-unemotional (CU) traits predict substance use over and above CD symptoms, and their potential interaction. This study used data from 753 participants followed from grade 7 to 2-years post-high school. Latent growth curve models showed that CU traits predicted the onset of cigarette use, alcohol misuse, and a substance use composite at grade 7 only when no CD symptoms were present. Among those without CD symptoms, boys showed greater change in the odds of using cigarettes, and were more likely to misuse alcohol or use any substance at grade 7 than girls. However, CD symptoms, CU traits, and their interaction did not predict the linear rates of growth of substance use over time. Thus, CU traits may uniquely predict adolescent substance use when CD symptoms are not present. This research has implications for predicting onset of adolescent substance use and for incorporating the assessment of CU traits into interventions targeting adolescent substance use.

Predicting Risky Sexual Behavior: the Unique and Interactive Roles of Childhood Conduct Disorder Symptoms and Callous-Unemotional Traits

Conduct disorder (CD) symptoms and callous-unemotional (CU) traits have been shown to be uniquely associated with risky sexual behavior (RSB) in adolescence and early adulthood, yet their interactive role in predicting RSB remains largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the predictive value of CD symptoms and CU traits, as well as their interaction, on several RSB outcomes in adolescence and early adulthood. A total of 683 participants (41.7 % female, 47.4 % African American) were followed annually and self-reported age of first sexual intercourse, frequency of condom use, pregnancy, contraction of sexually transmitted infections, and engagement in sexual solicitation from grade 7 to 2-years post-high school. CD symptoms predicted age of first sexual intercourse, condom use, and sexual solicitation. CU traits predicted age of first sexual intercourse and pregnancy. Their interaction predicted a composite score of these RSBs such that CD symptoms positively predicted the composite score among those with high levels of CU traits but not among those with low levels of CU traits. The current findings provide information regarding the importance of both CD symptoms and CU traits in understanding adolescent and early adulthood RSB, as well as the benefits of examining multiple RSB outcomes during this developmental period. These findings have implications for the development and implementation of preventive efforts to target these risky behaviors among adolescents and young adults.

Risky Sex, Drugs, Sensation Seeking, and Callous Unemotional Traits in Justice-Involved Male Adolescents

The current study examined whether callous-unemotional (CU) traits predicted risky sexual behavior (i.e., unprotected sex, casual sex) and whether substance use and sensation seeking mediated this relationship over 24 months in justice-involved young men. Participants (N = 1,216) were an ethnically and racially diverse sample (46.3% White Latino, 38% Black, 15.7% White non-Latino) of first-time offending male adolescents (ages 13-17 years) from 3 U.S. cities. Participants completed 5 self-reported interviews at 6-month intervals over 2 years. Bootstrapped mediation analyses were conducted to test direct effects of CU traits on risky sexual behaviors, as well as indirect effects through substance use and sensation seeking. CU traits at baseline were positively associated with risky sexual behavior 18-24 months later. CU traits were also associated with the hypothesized mediators, sensation seeking and substance use, measured 6-12 months after baseline. CU traits exerted direct effects on later unprotected sex and casual sex, as well as indirect effects through substance use but not sensation seeking. These effects were largely unchanged when accounting for the youth's level of self-reported delinquency. These findings demonstrate that CU traits predict later risky sexual outcomes, and this is at least partly explained by substance use. Further, the findings highlight the importance of CU traits for several outcomes that are of significant public health concern among justice-involved adolescents, namely, risky sexual behavior and substance use.

Gender differences in the association between conduct disorder and risky sexual behavior

Despite suggestions that there are gender differences in the association between conduct disorder (CD) and risky sexual behavior, limited empirical research has examined this question. Youth (N = 616) were recruited from four primary care clinics and completed questions related to risky sexual behavior, alcohol and marijuana use, and CD. Results of stratified multivariate models indicated that the association between CD and having four or more lifetime partners, having two or more partners in the last 3 months, and engaging in condomless sex was stronger among female youth. However, the association between CD and alcohol and other drug use before sex was stronger in male youth. This is an important contribution to our understanding of gender-specific manifestations of conduct disorder, and has the potential to inform screening and brief intervention efforts for this population.

Validation of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits Among a Portuguese Sample of Detained Juvenile Offenders

The main aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU) among a sample of incarcerated male Portuguese juvenile offenders (N = 221). Based on this sample, the Portuguese version of the ICU demonstrated promising psychometric properties, namely, in terms of factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and concurrent validity that generally justifies its use among this population. Statistically significant associations were found with conduct disorder, age of criminal onset, crime seriousness, physical violence use in committing crimes, alcohol use, cannabis use, and cocaine/heroin use.

Child maltreatment and risk behaviors: The roles of callous/unemotional traits and conscientiousness

Child maltreatment poses significant risk to the development of callous/unemotional traits as well as risk behaviors such as engaging in violence, having sex with strangers, and binge drinking. In the current study, the indirect pathway from child maltreatment to risk behaviors was examined via callous/unemotional traits; whereas the conscientious personality trait was tested as a moderator of this indirect pathway. Young adults and parents (N=361; Mage=19.14, SD=1.44) completed questionnaires on child maltreatment histories, callousness/unemotional traits, personality characteristics, and risk behaviors. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypothesized direct, indirect and conditional indirect effects. Findings showed indirect links between the child maltreatment latent factor and physical fighting, having sex with strangers, and binge drinking via callous/unemotional traits. Furthermore, the conscientiousness personality type significantly buffered the connection between callous/unemotional traits and physical fighting, supporting a conditional indirect effects. Callous/unemotional traits are important factors in the underlying mechanism between child maltreatment and risk behaviors among young adults, and conscientiousness serves as a protective factor against violence. Preventive intervention programs and clinicians may benefit from focusing in addressing callous/unemotional traits among youth who report childhood maltreatment experiences as well as targeting conscientiousness as a protective factor.

Do behavioral scientists really understand HIV-related sexual risk behavior? A systematic review of longitudinal and experimental studies predicting sexual behavior

Behavioral interventions to reduce sexual risk behavior depend on strong health behavior theory. By identifying the psychosocial variables that lead causally to sexual risk, theories provide interventionists with a guide for how to change behavior. However, empirical research is critical to determining whether a particular theory adequately explains sexual risk behavior. A large body of cross-sectional evidence, which has been reviewed elsewhere, supports the notion that certain theory-based constructs (e.g., self-efficacy) are correlates of sexual behavior. However, given the limitations of inferring causality from correlational research, it is essential that we review the evidence from more methodologically rigorous studies (i.e., longitudinal and experimental designs). This systematic review identified 44 longitudinal studies in which investigators attempted to predict sexual risk from psychosocial variables over time. We also found 134 experimental studies (i.e., randomized controlled trials of HIV interventions), but of these only 9 (6.7 %) report the results of mediation analyses that might provide evidence for the validity of health behavior theories in predicting sexual behavior. Results show little convergent support across both types of studies for most traditional, theoretical predictors of sexual behavior. This suggests that the field must expand the body of empirical work that utilizes the most rigorous study designs to test our theoretical assumptions. The inconsistent results of existing research would indicate that current theoretical models of sexual risk behavior are inadequate, and may require expansion or adaptation.