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Affective startle potentiation differentiates primary and secondary variants of juvenile psychopathy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 December 2016

Eva R. Kimonis ,
Kostas A. Fanti ,
Natalie Goulter  and
Jason Hall
Eva R. Kimonis*
Affiliation:
University of New South Wales
Kostas A. Fanti
Affiliation:
University of Cyprus
Natalie Goulter
Affiliation:
University of New South Wales
Jason Hall
Affiliation:
University of South Florida
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Eva R. Kimonis, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia; Email: [email protected].
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Abstract

Individuals with psychopathic traits show an attenuated emotional response to aversive stimuli. However, recent evidence suggests heterogeneity in emotional reactivity among individuals with psychopathic or callous–unemotional (CU) traits in the identification of primary and secondary subtypes, or variants. We hypothesized that primary CU variants will respond with blunted affect to negatively valenced stimuli, whereas individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment, fitting with theoretical conceptualizations of secondary psychopathy, will display heightened emotional reactivity. To test this hypothesis, we examined fear-potentiated startle between CU variants while viewing aversive, pleasant, and neutral scenes. Two hundred thirty-eight incarcerated adolescent (M age = 16.8 years, SD = 1.11 years) boys completed a picture-startle paradigm and self-report questionnaires assessing CU traits, aggressive behavior, and maltreatment. Latent profile analysis of CU trait, aggression, and maltreatment scores identified four classes: primary psychopathy variants (high CU traits, high aggression, low maltreatment; n = 46), secondary psychopathy variants (high CU traits, high aggression, high maltreatment; n = 42), and two nonpsychopathic groups differentiated on maltreatment experience (n = 148). Primary CU variants displayed reduced startle potentiation to aversive images relative to control, maltreated, and also secondary variants that exhibited greater startle modulation. Findings add to a rapidly growing body of literature supporting the possibility of multiple developmental pathways to psychopathic traits (i.e., equifinality), and extend it by finding support for divergent potential biomarkers between primary and secondary CU variants.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , October 2017 , pp. 1149 - 1160
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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Footnotes

This study was funded by the University of South Florida's Neuroscience Collaborative. We thank Aisha Howard, Roberta Clanton, Melissa Dardiz, Ly Ngo, Thy Nguyen, Edward Perin, Aaron Stewart, and Mathew Donovan for their assistance with data collection. We also thank the youth who participated in this study and the facility staff who facilitated data collection.

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