Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Factor Structure of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits in a Representative Sample of German 9th Grade Students

  • Published:
Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits represent the affective components of the psychopathy construct and show a strong relationship to violence and conduct-disorder in children. The Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU) is the current standard to assess CU traits. Despite the ICU having originally been constructed as a four-dimensional instrument, several studies found a three-factorial structure in combination with a general ICU-factor to be the best fitting factor-model. An imbalance in the number of positively and negatively worded items can be observed between the identified ICU dimensions. To investigate the effect of item keying on the factor structure we tested different factor-models in data stemming from a large sample (N = 3878) of German ninth grade students. Our findings suggest that the original four-factorial structure with a method factor shows good model fit. This solution is furthermore in line with the specifiers of the additional coding of Limited Prosocial Emotions for Conduct Disorder in the DSM-V.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Negatively worded items (1, 3, 5, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 23, 24) and positively worded items (2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 18, 20, 21, 22).

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Pub.

  • Bergmann, M. C., Baier, D., Rehbein, F., Mößle, T. (2017). Jugendliche in Niedersachsen: Ergebnisse des Niedersachsensurveys 2013 und 2015 [Young people in Lower Saxony: Results of the Lower Saxony survey 2013 and 2015]. Kriminologisches Forschungsinstitut Niedersachsen eV (KFN).

  • Blair, R. J. R., Leibenluft, E., & Pine, D. S. (2014). Conduct disorder and callous–unemotional traits in youth. New England Journal of Medicine, 371(23), 2207–2216.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boduszek, D., & Dhingra, K. (2016). Construct validity of the Beck hopelessness scale (BHS) among university students: A multitrait-multimethod approach. Psychological Assessment, 28, 1325–1330.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bovaird, J. A., & Koziol, N. A. (2012). Measurement models for ordered-categorical indicators. In R. H. Hoyle (Ed.), Handbook of structural equation modeling (pp. 495–511). New York: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. Sage Focus Editions, 154, 136–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buhi, E. R., Goodson, P., & Neilands, T. B. (2008). Out of sight, not out of mind: Strategies for handling missing data. American Journal of Health Behavior, 32(1), 83–92.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Byrd, A. L., Kahn, R. E., & Pardini, D. A. (2013). A validation of the inventory of callous-unemotional traits in a community sample of young adult males. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 35(1), 20–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, D. T., & Fiske, D. W. (1959). Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix. Psychological Bulletin, 56(2), 81–105.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caputo, A. A., Frick, P. J., & Brodsky, S. L. (1999). Family violence and juvenile sex offending: The potential mediating role of psychopathic traits and negative attitudes toward women. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 26(3), 338–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardinale, E. M., & Marsh, A. A. (2017). The reliability and validity of the inventory of callous unemotional traits: A meta-analytic review. Assessment, 1–15.

  • Chen, F. F. (2007). Sensitivity of goodness of fit indexes to lack of measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling, 14(3), 464–504.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cleckley, H. (1941). The mask of sanity; an attempt to reinterpret the so-called psychopathic personality. Oxford: Mosby.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ding, C. G., & Jane, T.-D. (2012). On the reliability, consistency, and method-specificity based on the CT-C(M–1) model. Behavior Research Methods, 44(2), 546–557. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-011-0169-6 .

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DiStefano, C., & Hess, B. (2005). Using confirmatory factor analysis for construct validation: An empirical review. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 23(3), 225–241.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dumenci, L., & Achenbach, T. M. (2008). Effects of estimation methods on making trait-level inferences from ordered categorical items for assessing psychopathology. Psychological Assessment, 20(1), 55–62.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Essau, C. A., Sasagawa, S., & Frick, P. J. (2006). Callous-unemotional traits in a community sample of adolescents. Assessment, 13(4), 454–469. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191106287354 .

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Falkenbach, D. M., Poythress, N. G., & Heide, K. M. (2003). Psychopathic features in a juvenile diversion population: Reliability and predictive validity of two self-report measures. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 21(6), 787–805.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fanti, K. A., Frick, P. J., & Georgiou, S. (2009). Linking callous-unemotional traits to instrumental and non-instrumental forms of aggression. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 31(4), 285–298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flora, D. B., & Curran, P. J. (2004). An empirical evaluation of alternative methods of estimation for confirmatory factor analysis with ordinal data. Psychological Methods, 9(4), 466–491.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J. (2004). The inventory of callous-unemotional traits. Unpublished rating scale, University of New Orleans.

  • Frick, P. J., & Dickens, C. (2006). Current perspectives on conduct disorder. Current Psychiatry Reports, 8(1), 59–72.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., & Hare, R. D. (2001). Antisocial process screening device: APSD. Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., Ray, J. V., Thornton, L. C., & Kahn, R. E. (2014a). Annual research review: A developmental psychopathology approach to understanding callous-unemotional traits in children and adolescents with serious conduct problems. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55(6), 532–548.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., Ray, J. V., Thornton, L. C., & Kahn, R. E. (2014b). Can callous-unemotional traits enhance the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of serious conduct problems in children and adolescents? A comprehensive review. Psychological Bulletin, 140(1), 1–57.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., Stickle, T. R., Dandreaux, D. M., Farrell, J. M., & Kimonis, E. R. (2005). Callous-unemotional traits in predicting the severity and stability of conduct problems and delinquency. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 471–487.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., & White, S. F. (2008). Research review: The importance of callous-unemotional traits for developmental models of aggressive and antisocial behavior. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(4), 359–375.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greenberger, E., Chen, C., Dmitrieva, J., & Farruggia, S. P. (2003). Item-wording and the dimensionality of the Rosenberg self-esteem scale: Do they matter? Personality and Individual Differences, 35, 1241–1254.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gretton, H. M., McBride, M., Hare, R. D., O'Shaughnessy, R., & Kumka, G. (2001). Psychopathy and recidivism in adolescent sex offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 28(4), 427–449.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hare, R. D. (1991). Manual for the psychopathy checklist. Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hare, R. D. (1999). Psychopathy as a risk factor for violence. Psychiatric Quarterly, 70(3), 181–197.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hare, R. D. (2003). Manual for the revised psychopathy checklist (2nd ed.). Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hare, R. D., & Neumann, C. S. (2008). Psychopathy as a clinical and empirical construct. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 4(1), 217–246.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hawes, D. J., & Dadds, M. R. (2005). The treatment of conduct problems in children with callous–unemotional traits. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(4), 737–741.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hawes, D. J., Price, M. J., & Dadds, M. R. (2014). Callous-unemotional traits and the treatment of conduct problems in childhood and adolescence: A comprehensive review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 17, 248–267.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Herpers, P. C., Rommelse, N. N., Bons, D. M., Buitelaar, J. K., & Scheepers, F. E. (2012). Callous–unemotional traits as a cross-disorders construct. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 47(12), 2045–2064.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Horan, P. M., DiStefano, C., & Motl, R. W. (2003). Wording effects in self-esteem scales: Methodological artifact or response style? Structural Equation Modeling, 10, 435–455.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, D. R., & Young, R. (2011). Toward best practices in analyzing datasets with missing data: Comparisons and recommendations. Journal of Marriage and Family, 73(5), 926–945.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimonis, E. R., Fanti, K. A., Frick, P. J., Moffitt, T. E., Essau, C., Bijttebier, P., & Marsee, M. A. (2015). Using self-reported callous-unemotional traits to cross-nationally assess the DSM-5 ‘with limited Prosocial emotions’ specifier. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56(11), 1249–1261.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kimonis, E. R., Frick, P. J., Skeem, J. L., Marsee, M. A., Cruise, K., & Munoz, L. C. (2008). Assessing callous–unemotional traits in adolescent offenders: Validation of the inventory of callous–unemotional traits. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 31(3), 241–252.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kliem, S., Lohmann, A., Mößle, T., & Brähler, E. (2018). Psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Beck hopelessness scale (BHS): Results from a German representative population sample. BMC Psychiatry, 18(1), 110.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kolko, D. J., & Pardini, D. A. (2010). ODD dimensions, ADHD, and callous–unemotional traits as predictors of treatment response in children with disruptive behavior disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 119(4), 713–725.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kruh, I. P., Frick, P. J., & Clements, C. B. (2005). Historical and personality correlates to the violence patterns of juveniles tried as adults. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 32(1), 69–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawing, K., Frick, P. J., & Cruise, K. R. (2010). Differences in offending patterns between adolescent sex offenders high or low in callous–unemotional traits. Psychological Assessment, 22(2), 298–305.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li, C. H. (2016). Confirmatory factor analysis with ordinal data: Comparing robust maximum likelihood and diagonally weighted least squares. Behavior Research Methods, 48(3), 936–949.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Little, R. J. (1988). A test of missing completely at random for multivariate data with missing values. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 83(404), 1198–1202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loeber, R., Pardini, D., Homish, D. L., Wei, E. H., Crawford, A. M., Farrington, D. P., Stouthamer-Loeber, M., Creemer, J., Koehler, S. A., & Rosenfeld, R. (2005). The prediction of violence and homicide in young men. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(6), 1074–1088.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lubke, G. H., & Muthén, B. O. (2004). Applying multigroup confirmatory factor models for continuous outcomes to Likert scale data complicates meaningful group comparisons. Structural Equation Modeling, 11(4), 514–534.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masi, G., Muratori, P., Manfredi, A., Lenzi, F., Polidori, L., Ruglioni, L., et al. (2013). Response to treatments in youth with disruptive behavior disorders. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 54(7), 1009–1015.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Millsap, R. E., & Kwok, O.-M. (2004). Evaluating the impact of partial factorial invariance on selection in two populations. Psychological Methods, 9(1), 93–115.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Millsap, R. E., & Yun-Tein, J. (2004). Assessing factorial invariance in ordered-categorical measures. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 39, 479–515.

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Neill, M. L., Lidz, V., & Heilbrun, K. (2003). Predictors and correlates of psychopathic characteristics in substance abusing adolescents. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 2(1), 35–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardini, D. A., & Fite, P. J. (2010). Symptoms of conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and callous-unemotional traits as unique predictors of psychosocial maladjustment in boys: Advancing an evidence base for DSM-V. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(11), 1134–1144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pohl, S., & Steyer, R. (2010). Modeling common traits and method effects in multitrait-multimethod analysis. Multivariate Behavioural Research, 45(1), 45–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ray, J. V., Frick, P. J., Thornton, L. C., Steinberg, L., & Cauffman, E. (2016). Positive and negative item wording and its influence on the assessment of callous-unemotional traits. Psychological Assessment, 28(4), 394.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ray, J. V., Frick, P. J. (2018). Assessing callous-unemotional traits using the total score from the inventory of callous-unemotional traits: A meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology.

  • Roose, A., Bijttebier, P., Decoene, S., Claes, L., & Frick, P. J. (2010). Assessing the affective features of psychopathy in adolescence: A further validation of the inventory of callous and unemotional traits. Assessment, 17(1), 44–57.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosseel, Y. (2012). Lavaan: An R package for structural equation modeling. Journal of Statistical Software, 48, 1–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Satorra, A., & Bentler, P. M. (2010). Ensuring positiveness of the scaled difference chi-square test statistic. Psychometrika, 75, 243–248.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Silverthorn, P., Frick, P. J., & Reynolds, R. (2001). Timing of onset and correlates of severe conduct problems in adjudicated girls and boys. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 23(3), 171–181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spain, S. E., Douglas, K. S., Poythress, N. G., & Epstein, M. (2004). The relationship between psychopathic features, violence and treatment outcome: The comparison of three youth measures of psychopathic features. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 22(1), 85–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder (2013). Bevölkerung nach Migrationsstatus regional, Ausgabe 2011. https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Migration-Integration/Publikationen/Downloads-Migration/bevoelkerung-migrationsstatus-5125203117004.pdf

  • van Buuren, S., & Groothuis-Oudshoorn, K. (2011). Mice: Multivariate imputation by chained equations in R. Journal of Statistical Software, 45(3), 1–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vautier, S., & Pohl, S. (2009). Do balanced scales assess bipolar constructs? The case of the STAI scales. Psychological Assessment, 21, 187–193.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Waschbusch, D. A., Carrey, N. J., Willoughby, M. T., King, S., & Andrade, B. F. (2007). Effects of methylphenidate and behavior modification on the social and academic behavior of children with disruptive behavior disorders: The moderating role of callous/unemotional traits. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 36(4), 629–644.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • White, I. R., Royston, P., & Wood, A. M. (2011). Multiple imputation using chained equations: Issues and guidance for practice. Statistics in Medicine, 30(4), 377–399.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • White, S. F., & Frick, P. J. (2010). Callous-unemotional traits and their importance to causal models of severe antisocial behavior in youth. Handbook of Child and Adolescent Psychopathy, 135–155.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony, Hannover, Germany

    Sören Kliem, Anna Lohmann, Merten Neumann, Christoffer Glaubitz & Marie Christine Bergmann

  2. Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena, University of Applied Sciences, Jena, Germany

    Sören Kliem

  3. University of Surrey, Guildford, UK

    Solveig Haselbach

  4. Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland

    Dirk Baier

Authors
  1. Sören Kliem
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Anna Lohmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Merten Neumann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Christoffer Glaubitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Solveig Haselbach
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Marie Christine Bergmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Dirk Baier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sören Kliem.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee, and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from each individual participating in the study.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

ESM 1

(DOCX 37 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kliem, S., Lohmann, A., Neumann, M. et al. Factor Structure of the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits in a Representative Sample of German 9th Grade Students. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 48, 43–55 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-019-00590-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-019-00590-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation