Associations Between Attachment and the Primary and Secondary Variants of Callous-Unemotional Traits in Childhood

• In Event: Callous-Unemotional And Psychopathic Traits: Looking Back at the Early Years to Inform Prevention and Intervention

Abstract

Background. Little is known on the associations between callous-unemotional (CU) traits and attachment in childhood. The few studies that examined these associations produced mixed results, which could be explained by the use of different research methodologies. For example, some of these studies support such association during childhood, and especially with the disorganized profile of attachment (Bohlin et al., 2012; Kohlhoff et al., 2020; Pasalich et al., 2012; Rehder et al., 2020), but others reported non-significant associations between these constructs (Willoughby et al., 2014; Wright et al., 2018).
Furthermore, none of these studies have considered the distinction between the two variants of CU traits, namely the primary (without anxiety) and secondary (with anxiety) variants. Given their heterogeneity in terms of etiological pathways (Ezpeleta et al., 2017; Kimonis et al., 2012), it seems particularly relevant to consider this distinction in order to improve our understanding of CU traits.
The current study therefore aimed to clarify the associations between attachment and the two variants of CU traits in childhood. In line with results from a study conducted among adolescents (Cecil et al., 2017), we hypothesized that the associations between CU traits and attachment profiles would differ according to the variants of CU traits. More so, consistent with the posited distinct etiological processes involved in CU traits from the two variants, we hypothesized that the directionality of the associations would vary, with disorganized attachment contributing to CU traits of the secondary variant and with CU traits of the primary variant contributing to insecure attachment.
Method. Participants were 50 children aged 4 to 9 from a Belgian French-speaking community sample. CU traits were assessed with the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional traits (Frick, 2004). The distinction between the two variants of CU traits was based on scores at the DSM-oriented scale for anxiety-problems of the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 2013). Parents completed the questionnaires as well as someone close to the child in order to adopt a multi-informant perspective. Finally, attachment representations were assessed with the Attachment Story Completion Task (Bretherton, Ridgeway, & Cassidy, 1990), coded with a Q-set procedure (CCH; Cartes pour le Complément d’Histoires; Miljkovitch et al., 2003). This procedure provides continuous scores for secure and disorganized attachment. All variables were continuous.
Results. Our preliminary analyses partly confirmed our hypotheses and allowed a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in the two variants of CU traits in childhood. Notably, we identified distinct associations between the two variants and profiles of attachment. Other more unexpected results were obtained and will be discussed based on the scientific literature.
Conclusions. Attachment could represent a promising target for early prevention and intervention aiming to reduce the levels of CU traits in childhood, or to avoid their developmental exacerbation, especially for the secondary variant. These results support the relevance of considering anxiety in order to account for the heterogeneity of CU traits. Complementary analyses are needed to determine what processes are involved in the associations between the two variants of CU traits and attachment, such as empathy and trauma.

Authors

• Morgane Payot, Université de Liège
  Presenting Author

• Christian Monseur, University of Liège
  Non-Presenting Author

• Marie Stiévenart, University of Liège
  Non-Presenting Author