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Callous–unemotional behaviors in early childhood: Genetic and environmental contributions to stability and change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 December 2016

Megan Flom  and
Kimberly J. Saudino
Megan Flom*
Affiliation:
Boston University
Kimberly J. Saudino
Affiliation:
Boston University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Megan Flom, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Child Development Labs, Boston University, 64 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215; E-mail: mflom@bu.edu.
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Abstract

Callous–unemotional (CU) behaviors demonstrate meaningful individual differences in early childhood, even in nonclinical samples with low mean levels of CU, but the factors underlying this variation have not been examined. This study investigated genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences and to sources of continuity and change in CU in toddler twins (145 monozygotic, 169 dizygotic) assessed at ages 2 and 3 years. CU, as assessed by the Child Behavior Checklist 1.5–5 (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000), was moderately stable across age (r = .45, p < .0001). Longitudinal biometric analyses revealed genetic and nonshared environmental influences on CU at both ages, with no significant contribution from shared environmental factors. Stability from age 2 to 3 was due to genetic factors, whereas change was due to both genetic and nonshared environmental influences. This genetic and nonshared environmental change was substantial, suggesting malleability of CU in early childhood. Over 50% of the genetic influences and 100% of the nonshared environmental influences on CU at age 3 were independent of those that operated at age 2. Implications of novel sources of variance across age are discussed.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , October 2017 , pp. 1227 - 1234
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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Footnotes

The Boston University Twin Project is supported by Grants MH062375 and HD068435 (to K.J.S.). The twins’ and families’ participation is gratefully acknowledged.

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