Browsing by Author "Seppälä, Ina"

Adult psychopathy is typically included under the umbrella term of antisocial personality disorder, but the two constructs do not entirely overlap. The central features of psychopathic personality are a lack of empathy and blunted affect, whereas antisocial behaviour is more strongly related to impulsivity and a lack of self-control. In children, the developmentally analogous counterpart to psychopathic personality traits are generally considered to be callous-unemotional traits, while antisocial personality disorder corresponds to conduct disorder. This paper aims to examine whether children with behavioural problems differ in terms of callous-unemotional traits, as the target of interest are the genetic and psychophysiological determinants as well as the developmental idiosyncrasies. Research indicates that callous-unemotional traits in children are linked to a presentation of conduct disorder that is more stable and more severe. Callous-unemotional children with behavioural problems are less empathic and have more blunted affect than other children, whereas non-callous children with behavioural problems are exceptionally reactive emotionally. In addition, callous-unemotional traits predict more negative life experiences, as well as more conduct problems in the context of negative life experiences. Callous-unemotional traits may therefore, for example, significantly influence the effectiveness of intervention and prevention practices. Central areas of future research may thus be other potential factors between callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems, as well as the possibilities for intervention concerning both callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems.