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Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health

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01-12-2020 | Disturbance of the Social Behaviour | Research article

Attributional and attentional bias in children with conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits: a case–control study

Authors: Daniela Hartmann, Kathrin Ueno, Christina Schwenck

Published in: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health | Issue 1/2020

Abstract

Background

Children who are frequently aggressive or lack empathy show various deficits in their social information processing. Several findings suggest that children with conduct problems (CP) show a tendency to interpret ambiguous situations as hostile (hostile attribution bias) and have difficulties to disengage from negative stimuli (attentional bias). The role that additional callous-unemotional traits (CU-traits) play in these biases is yet unclear. Investigating both attentional and attributional aspects of social information processing in children can help us to understand where anomalies in the processing pathway occur and whether the biases are associated with CP and CU-traits separately or in an interactive manner.

Methods

We compared three groups of children: (a) 25 children with CP and low levels of CU-traits (b) 25 children with CP and elevated levels of CU-traits (c) 50 gender (68% male), age (8–17 years) and intelligence score-matched typically developing children, on a pictorial emotional stroop task and a hostile attribution bias task.

Results

In contrast to our predictions, there were no significant group differences regarding attentional biases or hostile attribution biases. Boys with CP and high levels of CU-traits showed a significantly higher hostile attribution bias compared to girls with CP and high levels of CU-traits. The attention bias to angry stimuli significantly correlated with the hostile attribution bias. Compared to the control group the CP group with low levels of CU-traits showed a significantly stronger association between the attention bias to angry stimuli and the hostile attribution bias.

Conclusions

The current study provides evidence that boys with CP and high levels of CU-traits interpret ambiguous situations as more hostile than girls do. Our results further provide indications that the interaction of attentional and attributional biases in children with CP might contribute to their increased aggressive behavior.

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Title: Attributional and attentional bias in children with conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits: a case–control study
Authors: Daniela Hartmann
Kathrin Ueno
Christina Schwenck
Publication date: 01-12-2020
Publisher: BioMed Central
Keyword: Disturbance of the Social Behaviour
Published in: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1753-2000
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-020-00315-9

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Attributional and attentional bias in children with conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits: a case–control study

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

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