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Maternal Care, Maltreatment and Callous-Unemotional Traits Among Urban Male Juvenile Offenders

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Abstract

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e., lack of empathy/guilt, uncaring attitudes) are believed to be a developmental antecedent to adult psychopathy and identify antisocial youth at risk for severe and persistent aggression. The psychosocial histories of antisocial and aggressive individuals with psychopathic traits are characterized by abusive or unaffectionate parenting; however, there is a gap in the literature regarding the unique impact of these factors on adolescent offenders. The purpose of the present study was to examine the contribution of maternal warmth and affection (i.e., care) to dimensions of CU traits and aggression, after accounting for the influence of various types of childhood maltreatment. We investigated this aim in a sample of 227 urban male adolescent offenders housed in residential facilities. Results indicated that low maternal care was significantly associated with greater total CU traits and uncaring and callousness dimensions, even after controlling for the effects of various types of childhood abuse and neglect. Furthermore, there was a significant interaction between CU traits and care, such that aggression was highest among youths scoring high on CU traits who were exposed to low levels of maternal care. These findings draw attention to the importance of maternal bonding to CU traits and related aggressive behaviors among antisocial youth.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the University of South Florida. EK conceived of the study and its design and coordinated and contributed major portions of the writing and statistical analysis and interpretation of the data for the initial draft of the manuscript and its revision; BC performed and wrote up results of statistical analyses and contributed to their interpretation as well as substantial writing of the initial draft of the manuscript; AH participated in collecting the study data, performed a portion of the statistical analyses and contributed to their interpretation, as well as writing sections of the initial draft of the results section of the manuscript; KD participated in the coordination and collection of study data, as well as contributing sections of the writing for the initial draft of the method section of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. We thank Melissa Harrison and Vimbai Mudimu for managing the project and research assistants, Jessica Branch, Nicole Graham, Cailey Miller, Edward Perin, and Aaron Stewart for their assistance with data collection. We also thank the youth who participated in this study and the facility staff who facilitated data collection.

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  1. Kathleen Donoghue

    Present address: School of Social Work, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

  2. Aisha Howard

    Present address: Department of Psychology, University of Chicago at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, 13301 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. MHC2639, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Eva R. Kimonis, Brittany Cross, Aisha Howard & Kathleen Donoghue

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  1. Eva R. Kimonis
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Correspondence to Eva R. Kimonis.

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Kimonis, E.R., Cross, B., Howard, A. et al. Maternal Care, Maltreatment and Callous-Unemotional Traits Among Urban Male Juvenile Offenders. J Youth Adolescence 42, 165–177 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9820-5

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