Parental influences on children's callous-unemotional traits

Abstract

Research into offending behaviour has, in recent years, turned to investigating the pathways that may lead a person to offend. One of the major developments in this area is the recognition that the presence of high levels of callous-unemotional traits may delineate a particular subgroup of children that are at particular risk of becoming career offenders. The present study examined the relationships between children’s levels of callous-unemotional traits and a number of parental variables. 125 children (at initial assessment) from low decile schools and their caregivers took part in this study. The results indicated that several aspects of parenting (frequency and consistency of discipline, monitoring/supervision, involvement with children, positive parenting, and parental empathy) showed associations with callous-unemotional traits. These results both supported existing literature in this area, and highlighted important areas that need to be considered when planning and implementing interventions for antisocial youth.