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This study applies latent profile analysis to identify profiles of adolescents differentiated on levels of relational aggression (RAgg), self-esteem, and narcissism. To understand the social aspects of these profiles within the adolescent peer context, we compare them to their reported social goals of dominance, popularity, and intimacy. Greek junior high school students (N = 2,207), selected via random stratified cluster sampling, aged 13-16 (M = 14.04, SD =0.81), completed a self-report survey. Based on self-esteem, narcissism, and RAgg scores, four groups emerged: the group with the lowest scores in RAgg, narcissism, and self-esteem ("low risk"), the group with the highest scores in RAgg, narcissism, and self-esteem ("relational aggressors with narcissistic self-esteem"), the group with moderate scores in RAgg, narcissism, and self-esteem ("moderate risk"), and the group with high RAgg and narcissism scores but low self-esteem ("relational aggressors with vulnerable self-esteem"). Relational aggressors with high narcissism and self-esteem scored higher on social goals than those with vulnerable self-esteem (high narcissism but low self-esteem). Preventive policies should replace excessive and unconditional praise with more realistic self-esteem sources and teach adolescents how to respond to negative feedback and to cope with ego threats or social placement concerns.

Individuals with antisocial behavior and psychopathic traits are characterized by deficits in processing facial expressions, which results in poor social adaptation and dysfunctional interpersonal relationships. However, it is not clear how individuals with varying levels of these traits differ in this emotional impairment and if these deficits are due to correctly identifying or reacting appropriately to facial expressions. The aim of the study was to examine how individuals with these traits recognized and responded to affective facial expressions by using FaceReader software (which analyses footage of faces) across different experimental conditions (imitation, suppression, and control). Imitating facial expressions was introduced to examine whether it could direct participants' attention to the facial cues and improve participants' performance on the facial task. A total of 643 individuals from the community were pre-screened and a sample (N = 107; M age = 21.08, SD = 1.55), differentiated on levels of antisocial personality disorder (APD) symptoms and psychopathic (PSY) traits, who were selected based on extreme scores (high/low), were invited to participate in the study. Individuals with higher levels of APD symptoms and PSY traits (APD + PSY) expressed more anger than other groups, while those in the APD-only group expressed more sadness, compared to other groups. Overall, participants were compliant in following the instructions to imitate facial expressions. However, only the group with predominantly APD symptoms and the group with combined symptoms (APD + PSY) showed improvement in their accuracy ratings specifically when instructed to imitate facial expressions, compared to when no instructions were provided. The study offers a promising direction for targeting deficits in facial emotion recognition, suggesting that the deficits found in individuals with behavioral problems (with and without psychopathic traits) can be improved by asking them to imitate facial expressions., Author(s): Melina Nicole Kyranides [sup.1] , Maria Petridou [sup.2] , Heema Ajeet Gokani [sup.1] , Sam Hill [sup.1] , Kostas A. Fanti [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.4305.2, 0000 0004 1936 [...]

Research Findings: This study aimed to investigate the developmental path of social skills in early childhood, the associated predictors, and its impact on later school performance. This prospective longitudinal study included 2,121 children, ages 3-5 at baseline, from the general population in a mid-sized Swedish municipality. Results show both stability and change in social skills. Stable low social skills increased the risk for poor school performance, while stable high social skills increased the chance for good school performance in primary school. With some notable gender differences, both individual and family factors were significant predictors of stable low and stable high paths of social skills during early childhood. Practice or Policy: Whether the goal is to improve children's social skills or their performance in school, this study provides important clues for prevention. We identified several potential targets for interventions to promote early social skills development, which may in turn promote positive school performance. It is also notable that there seem to be gender differences in which factors are important, indicating the need for gender-differentiated interventions.

The downward extension of psychopathic traits to childhood and adolescence proved to be important in both research and clinical practice. The current study investigates how distinct psychopathic traits (i.e., callous-unemotional traits, narcissism, impulsivity) contribute to the prediction of conduct disorder (CD) symptoms, and whether these associations vary as a function of age. Further, we aimed to examine the variability in mean levels of psychopathic traits from age 9 to age 20 in a large community sample (N = 9136) using cross-sectional analysis. The study's findings provided evidence for age variability in psychopathic traits, since narcissism was found to be more prevalent from age 13-15, impulsivity from age 13 to 20, and CU traits from age 15-18. These findings demonstrate that psychopathic traits are less prevalent during childhood than adolescence. Further, the pattern of association between CD symptoms and psychopathic traits also displayed variability by age. Specifically, even though the overall regression of psychopathic traits on CD symptoms suggested that the three psychopathic dimensions had comparable impact on CD, the separate regressions by age group suggested that impulsivity was the strongest predictor of CD in childhood and early adolescence (ages 9-14), while narcissism was the strongest predictor of CD in mid-adolescence (ages 15-17). In contrast, callous-unemotional traits had a more stable effect on CD symptoms across time. Current evidence can inform existing attempts for the developmental extension of the construct of psychopathy to childhood and adolescence., Author(s): Kostas A. Fanti [sup.1] , Alexandros Lordos [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.6603.3, 0000000121167908, Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, , P.O. Box 20537, CY 1678, Nicosia, Cyprus Introduction > [...]

The purpose of this study was to explore the potential moderating role of perceived social support (school personnel, friends) and gender in the association between distinct psychopathic traits (callous-unemotional traits, narcissism, impulsivity) with bullying and victimization among 1442 Greek speaking early adolescents. Results suggested that all psychopathic traits were significant risk factors of bullying, whereas only impulsivity was a significant risk factor of victimization. Importantly, narcissism was the stronger explanatory factor of bullying. In addition, school and friend perceived social support acted as protective factors from victimization. ?n addition, school and friend perceived social support moderated the link between narcissism and bullying. Specifically, narcissism was more strongly associated with bullying when school support was low and friend support was high. Finally, gender moderated the relationship only between narcissism and bullying, suggesting that the association between narcissism and bullying was stronger for boys compared to girls. Altogether, these findings highlight the importance of studying the influence of social context on youths with antisocial personality traits and their engagement in bullying and victimization. Findings might have implications for interventions aiming to reduce bullying and victimization.

The Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU) is a widely used, comprehensive measure of callous-unemotional (CU) traits. While the ICU total score is used frequently in research, the scale's factor structure remains highly debated. Inconsistencies in past factor structure research appear to be largely due to the use of small non-representative samples and failure to control for method variance (i.e., item wording direction). The current study used a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) approach that considers both trait and method variance to test the factor structure of a 22-item version of the self-report ICU in a multinational community sample of 4,683 adolescents (ages 11–17). Results showed that a hierarchical four-factor model (i.e., one overarching CU factor, four latent trait factors) that controlled for method variance (i.e., by allowing residuals from positively worded items to covary) provided the best fit (χ2 = 2797.307, df = 160, RMSEA=.059, CFI=.922, TLI=.888, SRMR=.045). After controlling for method variance, the best-fitting factor structure is consistent with how the ICU was developed and corresponds to the four symptoms of Limited Prosocial Emotions (LPE) specifier in the DSM-5 criteria for Conduct Disorder (CD). In addition, measurement invariance of this factor structure across age (i.e., younger versus older adolescents) and sex was supported. As a result, mean differences in ICU total score across age and sex can be interpreted as reflecting true variations in these traits. Further, we documented that boys generally scored higher than girls on the ICU, and this sex difference was larger in later adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence from physiological studies has been integral in many causal theories of behavioral and emotional problems. However, this evidence is hampered by the heterogeneity characterizing these problems. The current study adds to prior work by identifying neuro-physiological markers associated with heterogeneity in conduct problems (CP), callous-unemotional (CU) traits, and anxiety. Participants were classified into the following groups: (a) low risk, (b) anxious (predominately high anxiety), (c) primary (scored high on CP and CU traits but low on anxiety), and (d) secondary (high anxiety, CU traits, and CP). Developmental differences were also examined by including two different samples assessed during young adulthood (Study 1: n = 88; M[subscript age] = 19.92; 50% female) and childhood (Study 2: n = 72; M[subscript age] = 5.78, SD = 1.33; 39 males). Participants in both studies were recruited from community samples (Study 1: n = 2,306; M[subscript age] = 16, SD = 0.89; Study 2: n = 850; M[subscript age] = 5.01, SD = 0.95). Physiological responses (heart rate, skin conductance, startle modulation) were recorded while children and adults watched negative affective and neutral scenes. Medial prefrontal activation (oxygenated hemoglobin) was also measured in young adults. Findings suggested that individuals in the secondary and anxious psychopathy groups showed higher physiological arousal and startle reactivity to violent, fearful, and anger stimuli compared to individuals in the primary psychopathy group. In contrast, primary and secondary psychopathy groups showed similar physiological reactions to sad stimuli assessed during childhood. Also, young adults in the primary and secondary subtypes showed lower medial prefrontal cortex activation to violent stimuli compared to the anxious group. These findings provide evidence for the value of a multidomain approach for identifying neurophysiological mechanisms that can inform prevention and treatment efforts.

The presence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits designates a subgroup of antisocial youth at risk for severe, aggressive, and stable conduct problems. As a result, these traits should be considered as part of the criteria for conduct disorder. The present study tests 2 possible symptom sets (4- and 9-item criteria sets) of CU traits that could be used in diagnostic classification, assessed using self-report with a sample of 643 incarcerated adolescent (M age = 16.50, SD = 1.63 years) boys (n = 493) and girls (n = 150). Item response theory analysis was employed to examine the unique characteristics of each criterion comprising the 2 sets to determine their clinical utility. Results indicated that most items comprising the measure of CU traits demonstrated adequate psychometric properties. Whereas the 9-item criteria set provided more information and was internally consistent, the briefer 4-item set was equally effective at identifying youth at-risk for poor outcomes associated with the broader CU construct. Supporting the clinical utility of the criteria sets, incarcerated boys and girls who endorsed high levels of CU symptoms across criteria sets were particularly at-risk for proactive aggression and violent delinquency.

Investigating heterogeneity in antisocial behavior early in life is essential for understanding the etiology, development, prognosis, and treatment of these problems. Data from the longitudinal National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) study of Early Child Care were used to identify homogeneous groups of young antisocial children differentiated on externalizing problems, internalizing problems, and callous-unemotional (CU) traits using latent profile analysis (LPA). We examined how identified subgroups were differentiated on adolescent social, biological, cognitive, and environmental outcomes, controlling for dispositional and contextual antecedents during the first 2 years of life. The sample consisted of 1,167 children (52% male) followed from toddlerhood to adolescence. LPA identified a large "low problems" group (n = 795; 49.9% male) as well as 3 antisocial groups at age 3: the first scored high on internalizing and externalizing problems but low on CU traits (Ext/Int, n = 125), the second scored high on CU traits and externalizing problems but low on internalizing problems (primary CU variant, n = 135), and the third scored high on CU traits, internalizing, and externalizing problems (secondary CU variant, n = 112), and these differences persisted into adolescence. Primary and secondary CU variants were further differentiated from one another on adolescent measures of aggression (reactive and relational), biological indices (cortisol, heart rate), cognitive abilities, and parental psychopathology, after controlling for early life risk factors (i.e., maternal sensitivity, difficult temperament, and maternal depression). We discuss implications of our findings for research, theory, and practice on early childhood externalizing problems.

Recognizing and appropriately responding to others' emotional expressions is important for children's moral and social development. Impairments in the emotion recognition of individuals high on Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits are thought to explain their reduced empathic responding, interpersonal problems, and persistent antisocial behaviour. The current study uses accuracy ratings and physiological measures to assess changes in identifying and reacting to others' sadness, respectively, among children high on CU traits who received one of three brief parenting interventions designed to address their emotional deficits. Participants were 68 children (Mage = 7.50 years, SD = 1.49, 46% female), selected from a larger screening sample (N = 1,283). The study assessed emotional accuracy and skin conductance reactivity during the presentation of sad video scenes pre- and post-intervention. Parents and children participated in three intervention programmes (i.e., Parent-Child Interaction Therapy-CU, Coaching and Rewarding Emotional Skills, Emotional Engagement) designed to target the emotional deficits of children with CU traits. Findings support the amenability of emotional deficits related to empathic responding to others' sad expressions among children high on CU traits. Specifically, children showed improved ability to accurately identify sad emotions as well as increased autonomic reactivity (i.e., skin conductance) to sad expressions at post-intervention. Our findings draw attention to the importance of parenting interventions aiming to enhance the emotional functioning of children high on CU traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present analysis, we test the dual systems model of adolescent risk taking in a cross-national sample of over 5,200 individuals aged 10 through 30 (M = 17.05 years, SD = 5.91) from 11 countries. We examine whether reward seeking and self-regulation make independent, additive, or interactive contributions to risk taking, and ask whether these relations differ as a function of age and culture. To compare across cultures, we conduct 2 sets of analyses: 1 comparing individuals from Asian and Western countries, and 1 comparing individuals from low- and high-GDP countries. Results indicate that reward seeking and self-regulation have largely independent associations with risk taking and that the influences of each variable on risk taking are not unique to adolescence, but that their link to risk taking varies across cultures.

The 22nd Workshop on Aggression was held in Limassol, the 2nd second largest urban area in Cyprus, in November 22-25, 2017, and was organized by the University of Cyprus. There were five keynote speakers, eight symposia, nine paper sessions and one poster session. In total, 78 high quality individual papers were presented, covering a broad area of research fields in accordance to the theme of the workshop. The thematic focus of the 22nd Workshop on Aggression 2017 was "Contemporary perspectives on aggressive behavior: Exploring trends across the lifespan". The conference aimed to present the latest research and stimulate interdisciplinary research mainly in the fields of: (1) conventional and cyber forms of aggression; (2) personality and environmental factors of aggression; (3) neuroscience and aggression; and (4) prevention and intervention programs of aggression.