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Understanding the development of psychopathy: progress and challenges
1Division of Psychology and Language Sciences,University College London,Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT,UK.
Psychological Medicine
|October 17, 2017
Summary
Callous-unemotional (CU) traits in children, marked by low empathy and guilt, predict adult psychopathy risk. Genetic and environmental factors influence these traits, guiding future research and clinical interventions.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Psychiatry
- Behavioral genetics
Background:
- Psychopathy is a costly adult disorder.
- Children cannot be diagnosed with psychopathy.
- Callous-unemotional (CU) traits in children indicate elevated risk for adult psychopathy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review neurocognitive and genetic studies on psychopathy emergence.
- To identify research priorities for the next decade.
- To consider clinical implications for intervention and prevention.
Main Methods:
- Review of neurocognitive studies.
- Analysis of genetically informative studies.
- Examination of research on callous-unemotional traits.
Main Results:
- CU traits involve diminished empathy, guilt, and attenuated brain responses to distress.
- CU traits exhibit moderate-to-strong heritability.
- Protective environmental factors can mitigate genetic risk for CU traits.
Conclusions:
- Early identification of CU traits is crucial for predicting adult psychopathy risk.
- Research should focus on understanding the interplay of genetic and environmental factors.
- Optimizing interventions for children with CU traits and their parents is essential for improving outcomes.
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