Primary and Secondary Variants of Callous-Unemotional Traits in Early and Middle Childhood: Distinction, Evaluation and Empathic Differences.

Abstract

Current literature demonstrates the relevance of considering two variants of CU traits based on high or low levels of anxiety. However, there is limited information about these variants in young community samples. The current study used cluster analyses to investigate the primary and the secondary variants of CU traits in two samples of children: preschool (N = 107; M_age = 4.95, SD = 0.62) and school-age (N = 153; M_age = 7.49, SD = 1.11). The identified clusters were compared on empathic dimensions, aggressive behavior and criteria from the "with limited prosocial emotions" specifier from the DSM-V. The primary variant was identified as early as preschool age while the secondary variant was only identified in the school-age sample. In this latter sample, the two variants did not differ on assessed variables, except for aggressive behavior. Despite the similarities between the two variants, these results suggest distinct developmental trajectories.