UC Irvine

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits (e.g., lack of empathy, deficient guilt/remorse, and shallow affect) are a risk factor for delinquent behavior. Youth high in CU traits exhibit a range of cognitive and emotional deficits, such as fearlessness, insensitivity to punishment, and reward dependency, that predispose them to antisocial behavior and justice system involvement. This two-part dissertation study sought to better understand how CU traits predispose youth to delinquent behavior by examining the hormones thought to underlie these emotional and cognitive deficits. Employing a sample of 55 justice-involved male youth recruited from an ongoing longitudinal study of first-time juvenile offenders, Study One examined the association between CU traits, adverse experiences (prior exposure to violence and hostile parent-child relationships), and cortisol and alpha-amylase reactivity. The results indicate that individuals with elevated levels of CU traits exhibit lower cortisol reactivity than their counterparts. However, they exhibited the same pattern of alpha-amylase reactivity. In addition, prior adversity did not moderate the association between CU traits and either indicator of stress reactivity. Study Two tested whether cortisol and testosterone mediated the association between CU traits, reward and punishment sensitivity, and risk taking. Unfortunately, the study was underpowered and could not determine whether there was a direct or indirect association between CU traits, risk taking, or reward/punishment sensitivity. However, the study provided evidence that individuals with high CU traits exhibited the same pattern of testosterone reactivity as their counterparts. Taken together, the results of the two studies suggest youth with elevated levels of CU traits exhibit a pattern of stress reactivity that may contribute to their behavior. Future research should continue to explore the relation between stress reactivity, CU traits, and other aspects of antisocial behavior, such as aggression and retaliation.