Reactive and proactive aggression subgroups in early adolescents and the interplay among callous-unemotional traits, moral disengagement, empathy and functions of aggression

Abstract

This study assessed different profiles of proactive and reactive aggression and examines the interplay among moral disengagement (MD), empathy, callous-unemotional (CU) traits and two functions of aggression, proactive and reactive, in a non – clinical sample of 301 Greek early adolescents. Three aggression profiles emerged (i.e., low, combined, reactive) with the combined aggression group scoring higher on CU traits and MD than the high reactive and low aggression groups. Callous- unemotional traits and MD were positively associated with proactive and reactive aggression, while cognitive empathy was negatively associated with proactive aggression and MD. MD and cognitive empathy moderated the association between CU traits and proactive aggression, while affective empathy moderated the CU traits and reactive aggression link. The results highlight that MD and empathy are key factors in the association between aggression and CU traits in early adolescents. Practical implications are also discussed.