Abstract
Research suggests that callous unemotional (CU) traits are associated with poor emotion recognition due to impairments in attention to relevant emotional cues. To further investigate the mechanisms that underlie CU traits, this study focused on the relationship between levels of CU and children's attention to, and recognition of, facial emotions. Participants were 7- to 10-year-old Italian boys, 35 with a diagnosis of Disruptive Behavior Disorder (age: M = 8.93, SD = 1.35), and 23 healthy male controls (age: M = 8.86, SD = 1.35). Children viewed standardized emotional faces (happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger, and neutral) while eye-tracking technology was used to evaluate scan paths for each area of interest (eyes, face, mouth), and for each emotion. CU traits were assessed using parent and teacher ratings on the Antisocial Process Screening Device. In the whole sample, elevated levels of CU traits were associated with a lower ability to recognize sadness, a lower number of fixations, and a lower average length of each fixation, specifically to the eye area of sad faces. In children with Disruptive Behavior Disorder diagnoses, high levels of CU traits were associated with lower duration of fixations to the eye-region on the eye area of sad faces, which in turns predicted lower levels of sadness recognition. The findings confirm that poor emotion recognition is associated with impairments in attention to critical information about other people's emotions. The clinical implications are discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 32-38 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Behaviour Research and Therapy |
| Volume | 113 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 20 2018 |
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Keywords
- Callous traits
- Disruptive behavior disorder
- Emotional processing
- Eye gaze
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
Cite this
Emotional processing deficits in Italian children with Disruptive Behavior Disorder : The role of callous unemotional traits. / Billeci, Lucia; Muratori, Pietro; Calderoni, Sara; Chericoni, Natasha; Levantini, Valentina; Milone, Annarita; Nocentini, Annalaura; Papini, Marina; Ruglioni, Laura; Dadds, Mark.
In: Behaviour Research and Therapy, Vol. 113, 20.12.2018, p. 32-38.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Emotional processing deficits in Italian children with Disruptive Behavior Disorder
T2 - The role of callous unemotional traits
AU - Billeci, Lucia
AU - Muratori, Pietro
AU - Calderoni, Sara
AU - Chericoni, Natasha
AU - Levantini, Valentina
AU - Milone, Annarita
AU - Nocentini, Annalaura
AU - Papini, Marina
AU - Ruglioni, Laura
AU - Dadds, Mark
PY - 2018/12/20
Y1 - 2018/12/20
N2 - Research suggests that callous unemotional (CU) traits are associated with poor emotion recognition due to impairments in attention to relevant emotional cues. To further investigate the mechanisms that underlie CU traits, this study focused on the relationship between levels of CU and children's attention to, and recognition of, facial emotions. Participants were 7- to 10-year-old Italian boys, 35 with a diagnosis of Disruptive Behavior Disorder (age: M = 8.93, SD = 1.35), and 23 healthy male controls (age: M = 8.86, SD = 1.35). Children viewed standardized emotional faces (happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger, and neutral) while eye-tracking technology was used to evaluate scan paths for each area of interest (eyes, face, mouth), and for each emotion. CU traits were assessed using parent and teacher ratings on the Antisocial Process Screening Device. In the whole sample, elevated levels of CU traits were associated with a lower ability to recognize sadness, a lower number of fixations, and a lower average length of each fixation, specifically to the eye area of sad faces. In children with Disruptive Behavior Disorder diagnoses, high levels of CU traits were associated with lower duration of fixations to the eye-region on the eye area of sad faces, which in turns predicted lower levels of sadness recognition. The findings confirm that poor emotion recognition is associated with impairments in attention to critical information about other people's emotions. The clinical implications are discussed.
AB - Research suggests that callous unemotional (CU) traits are associated with poor emotion recognition due to impairments in attention to relevant emotional cues. To further investigate the mechanisms that underlie CU traits, this study focused on the relationship between levels of CU and children's attention to, and recognition of, facial emotions. Participants were 7- to 10-year-old Italian boys, 35 with a diagnosis of Disruptive Behavior Disorder (age: M = 8.93, SD = 1.35), and 23 healthy male controls (age: M = 8.86, SD = 1.35). Children viewed standardized emotional faces (happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger, and neutral) while eye-tracking technology was used to evaluate scan paths for each area of interest (eyes, face, mouth), and for each emotion. CU traits were assessed using parent and teacher ratings on the Antisocial Process Screening Device. In the whole sample, elevated levels of CU traits were associated with a lower ability to recognize sadness, a lower number of fixations, and a lower average length of each fixation, specifically to the eye area of sad faces. In children with Disruptive Behavior Disorder diagnoses, high levels of CU traits were associated with lower duration of fixations to the eye-region on the eye area of sad faces, which in turns predicted lower levels of sadness recognition. The findings confirm that poor emotion recognition is associated with impairments in attention to critical information about other people's emotions. The clinical implications are discussed.
KW - Callous traits
KW - Disruptive behavior disorder
KW - Emotional processing
KW - Eye gaze
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85058951151&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85058951151&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.brat.2018.12.011
DO - 10.1016/j.brat.2018.12.011
M3 - Article
C2 - 30590200
AN - SCOPUS:85058951151
VL - 113
SP - 32
EP - 38
JO - Behaviour Research and Therapy
JF - Behaviour Research and Therapy
SN - 0005-7967
ER -