callous-unemotional traits and peer relationship characteristics among aggressive children over ...

108 Pages·2014·5.45 MB·English

CALLOUS-UNEMOTIONAL TRAITS AND PEER RELATIONSHIP CHARACTERISTICS
AMONG AGGRESSIVE CHILDREN OVER THE TRANSITION TO MIDDLE SCHOOL

by
CHRISTOPHER THOMAS O’BRIEN
KRISTINA L. MCDONALD, COMMITTEE CHAIR
JOHN E. LOCHMAN
JEFFREY G. PARKER
RANDALL T. SALEKIN
STEPHEN J. THOMA

A DISSERTATION

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
in the Department of Psychology
in the Graduate School of
The University of Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA

2014
Copyright Christopher Thomas O’Brien 2014
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the present study was to investigate, among an aggressive sample
of youth, how CU traits are related to children’s regard from peers and peer reputations of
victimization and leadership. Children between the ages of 9 and 12 (N = 231) completed
a sociometric survey as well as self-reporting on delinquency. Teacher reports of CU
traits were also collected. As hypothesized, higher levels of CU traits predicted
membership in the low trajectory group relative to the high trajectory group for peer
nominations of being liked the most. Additionally, results indicated that higher levels of
CU traits predicted membership in the high trajectory group relative to the low trajectory
group for peer nominations of being liked the least above and beyond aggressive
behavior. No support was found for the hypothesis that CU traits predict membership in
the high trajectory group for peer nominations of victimization nor for the hypothesis that
it predicts membership in the high trajectory group for peer nominations of leadership.
Results are discussed in terms of their contribution to characterizing youth with CU traits
as well as how these youth interact with their peers.
Keywords: callous-unemotional traits, aggression, peer relations, trajectories

ii
DEDICATION

This dissertation is dedicated to everyone who participated in the project and to
those who helped me, offered advice and support while creating this document.
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS
α Cronbach’s index of internal consistency
AIC Akaike Information Criterion
BIC Bayesian Information Criterion
CD Conduct Disorder
CP Conduct Problems
CU Callous-Unemotional
LCGA Latent Class Growth Analysis
LMR Lo-Mendell-Rubin likelihood ratio test
M Mean: the sum of a set of measurements divided by the number of
measurements in the set

N Sample size of group
ODD Oppositional Defiant Disorder
p Probability associated with the occurrence under the null hypothesis of a
value as extreme as or more extreme than the observed value
r Pearson product-moment correlation
SABIC Sample Size Adjusted Bayesian Information Criterion
SD Standard Deviation: value of variation from the mean

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t Computed value of t test
! 2 Chi-square distribution
Δ!! 2 Chi-square change
z Z-score
< Less than
> Greater than
= Equal to

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank the many people who assisted and supported me throughout
the entire process of this project. In particular, I am grateful to my committee chair,
Kristina McDonald, who has never waivered in her assistance and support. Kristina is a
fantastic and caring advisor. This dissertation would not have been possible without her
amazing support and guidance. I am fortunate to have had a very cooperative and
understanding committee, Jeffrey Parker, Randall Salekin, and Stephen Thoma; their
suggestions and feedback were invaluable.
I am beyond grateful for John Lochman for granting permission to access the
current data. Being afforded the opportunity to work with this data has been a privilege
and an honor.
I would also like to thank my supportive family. Everything that I have
accomplished I owe to them. They have always motivated me to push myself. I must also
thank my closest supporter and friend, Caitie, who means more to me than I could ever
express in words. Finally, I would like to thank my friends and classmates, for all their
feedback and support.

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CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ................................................................................................ ii
DEDICATION ........................................................................................... iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS ...................................... iv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................... vi
LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................... ix
LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................... x
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1
a. Characteristics of Youth with Callous-Unemotional Traits…...3
b. Transition from Elementary to Middle School………………...6
c. CU and Peer Relationships…………………………………….8
d. Accounting for Aggression and Delinquent Behavior………...15
e. Purpose of the Present Study…………………………………..20
2. METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………….22
a. Participants……………………………………………….........22
b. Constructs……………………………………………………...23
c. Procedures……………………………………………………..25
3. RESULTS ……………………………………………………………..26
a. Correlations Between Variables at Time 1………………….....27
b. Trajectories of Peer Nominations……………………………...29
c. Links Between Covariates and Peer Nomination Trajectory
Group Membership……………………………………………38

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d. Predicting Peer Nomination Trajectory Group Membership
From CU Traits………………………………………………..44

e. Predicting Peer Nomination Trajectory Group Membership
Controlling for Aggression……………………………………47

f. Predicting Peer Nomination Trajectory Group Membership
Controlling for Delinquency…………………………………..51

4. DISCUSSION…………………………………………………………..74
REFERENCES…………………………………………………………….86

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LIST OF TABLES

1. Descriptive Statistics Among Study Measure at Time 1………………..27
2. Summary of Correlations Among CU Traits, Peer Nominations, and
Aggression as a Function of Gender…………………………………….28

3. Summary of Correlations Among CU Traits and Peer Nominations as a
Function of Aggression and Delinquency…………………………….....29

4. Model Fit for Peer Nomination Trajectories…………………...………..38
5. Group Composition of Peer Nomination Trajectory Classes……………40

6. Multinomial Logistic Regression Analysis Details ……………………..54

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