Abstract
Deficits in fear conditioning related to psychopathy have been widely studied in adults. However, evidence in children and adolescents is scarce and inconsistent. This research aimed to expand knowledge about fear conditioning in psychopathy and its dimensions in child and early adolescent clinical populations. Participants were 45 boys (outpatients) aged 6–14 years (M = 10.59, SD = 2.04). They were assessed with the parents’ and teachers’ versions of the Child Problematic Traits Inventory (CPTI). A fear conditioning paradigm (Neumann et al., in Biological Psychology, 79(3), 337–342, 2008) for children and adolescents was used. Conditioned stimuli (CS+ and CS-) were geometric shapes and the unconditioned stimulus (US) was an unpleasant sound of metal scraping on slate (83 dB). Difference scores (CS+ minus CS-) in skin conductance responses (SCR) and self-reported cognitive and affective measures were considered as indices of fear conditioning. Results showed that: a) deficits in fear conditioning were related to some psychopathy dimensions but not to psychopathy as a unitary construct; b) the Impulsivity-Need for Stimulation dimension was a predictor of impaired fear conditioning at a cognitive level; c) the interaction of Callous-Unemotional and Impulsivity-Need for Stimulation dimensions was a significant predictor of impaired electrodermal fear conditioning; d) by contrast, the Grandiose-Deceitful dimension, was marginally associated with a greater electrodermal fear conditioning. In conclusion, psychopathy dimensions and their interactions, but not psychopathy as a whole, predicted deficits in fear conditioning as measured by SCR and cognitive indices. These findings confirm the notion that psychopathic traits are associated with deficits in fear conditioning in child and adolescent clinical populations and provide support for a multidimensional approach to youth psychopathy.
Highlights
Psychopathic personality is defined as a constellation of interpersonal, affective, behavioral/lifestyle, and antisocial traits related to antisocial behavior (Hare & Neumann, 2008)
Diagnostic characteristics of the child and adolescent participants were classified as externalizing disorders (at least one of the following diagnoses: Conduct disorder (CD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), or ADHD3), internalizing disorders, and other disorders according to MINIKID 7.0.2 (n = 34; Sheehan et al, 2010) or K-SADS-PL (n = 7; Kaufman et al, 1997)
The mean psychopathy scores were significantly higher than those obtained in child community samples in the total Child Problematic Traits Inventory (CPTI), M = 1.94, SD = .63, t(37) = 5.03, p = .000; GD, M = 1.72, SD = .74, t(37) = 2.86, p = .007; CU, M = 1.91, SD = .75, t(37) = 4.37, p = .000; and impulsive-need for stimulation (INS), M = 2.15, SD = .59, t(37) = 6.52, p =
Summary
Psychopathic personality is defined as a constellation of interpersonal (e.g., grandiosity, deceitfulness), affective (e.g., callousness, absence of remorse and guilt), behavioral/lifestyle (e.g., irresponsibility, impulsivity), and antisocial traits related to antisocial behavior (Hare & Neumann, 2008) These traits have proven to be very relevant for designating an important subgroup of antisocial adults, as they show a more severe, violent, and stable pattern of antisocial behavior (see Leistico et al, 2008 for a meta-analysis). One of the proposed correlates has been impaired fear processing as a sign of emotional arousal dysfunction that could affect moral development at early ages (Chen et al, 2021; Cohn et al, 2013; Kochanska, 1991) In this sense, given that the presence of psychopathic traits is related to behaviors that violate the basic rights of others or social norms considered appropriate for the child's age, it is important to understand how these traits and fear processing are related. A series of studies supported this idea linking adult psychopathy, especially the interpersonal-affective factor, to impaired fear processing (see Hoppenbrouwers et al, 2016; Kozhuharova et al, 2019 for reviews), and to structural and functional abnormalities in fear processing areas, such as the amygdala and the orbitofrontal regions (Blair et al, 2005; Glenn & Raine, 2008; Patrick, 2007)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
