Can callous-unemotional (CU) traits be acquired? Tests in a longitudinal sample spanning late childhood through adolescence in the ABCD study

Background. Callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e., “Limited Prosocial Emotions”) characterize a particularly severe group of antisocial youth. “Secondary” CU traits, as opposed to “primary,” are distinguished by co-occurring anxiety and are theorized to reflect an acquired phenotype that develops through an interaction between heightened emotional sensitivity and prolonged adversity exposure. The aim of this study was to test this pathway in a large, diverse sample spanning late childhood (age 9-10) to middle adolescence. Methods. Data were drawn from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Develop