Genetic and environmental aetiology of the dimensions of Callous-Unemotional traits.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A Callous-Unemotional trait specifier (termed 'Limited Prosocial Emotions') was added to the diagnosis of conduct disorder in DSM-5. The Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU) is a comprehensive measure of these traits assessing three distinct, yet correlated dimensions--Callousness, Uncaring, and Unemotional--all thought to reflect the general Callous-Unemotional construct. The present study was the first to examine the degree to which the aetiology of these dimensions is shared v. independent.

Method

Parent-reported ICU data from 5092 16-year-old twin pairs from the Twins Early Development Study were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis. Multivariate genetic modelling was applied to the best-fitting structure.

Results

A general-specific struct

SUBMITTER: Henry J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4682480 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature