The moderating effect of irrationality on the relationship between callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems in teenagers

Abstract

The main objective of this study was the investigation of the moderation effect of irrationality on the relationship between callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems in youths, this last association having been demonstrated before in scientific research. The data was collected from 40 patients of a pediatric psychiatry clinic, during the last 18 months.

We used the following instruments for measuring the main variables of the study: The Youth Self-Report (YSR, Achenbach, 1991) for the conduct problems, The Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU, Frick, 2004) and The Child and Adolescent Scale of Irrationality (CASI, Bernard and Cronan, 1999).

The acquired data was analyzed with the SPSS 20 statistical software. First, we performed the descriptive statistics and then we conducted the hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The research design is predictive, moderation type.

The results showed a significant positive association between callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems, a significant positive association between irrationality and conduct problems, no significant statistical association between callous-unemotional traits and irrational beliefs and no significant moderating effect of irrational cognitions on the relationship between callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems. Nonetheless, callous-unemotional traits and irrationality explain 49.5% of the variance of behavior problems.

The results confirm the need of adapted individualized therapeutic strategies for children and adolescents with conduct problems, to address both their callous-unemotional traits and their irrational beliefs.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.