Monica A. Marsee

Assessing callous-unemotional traits in adolescent offenders : validation of the inventory of callous-unemotional traits.

The presence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits designates an important subgroup of antisocial youth. To improve upon existing measures, the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU) was developed to provide an efficient, reliable, and valid assessment of CU traits in samples of youth. The current study tests the factor structure and correlates of the ICU scale in a sample (n=248) of juvenile offenders (188 boys, 60 girls) between the ages of 12 and 20 (M=15.47, SD=1.37). Confirmatory factor analyses are consistent with the presence of three independent factors (i.e., Uncaring, Callousness, and Unemotional) that relate to a higher-order callous-unemotional dimension. Also, CU traits overall showed associations with aggression, delinquency, and both psychophysiological and self-report indices of emotional reactivity. There were some important differences across the three facets of the ICU in their associations with these key external criteria.

Reactive Aggression and Posttraumatic Stress in Adolescents Affected by Hurricane Katrina

The current study tests a theoretical model illustrating a potential pathway to reactive aggression through exposure to a traumatic event (Hurricane Katrina) in 166 adolescents (61% female, 63% Caucasian) recruited from high schools on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Results support an association between exposure to Hurricane Katrina and reactive aggression via posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and poorly regulated emotion. The proposed model fits well for both boys and girls; however, results suggest that minority youth in this sample were more likely to experience emotional dysregulation in relation to posttraumatic stress than Caucasian youth. Further, results indicate that hurricane exposure, PTSD symptoms, and poorly regulated emotion are associated with reactive aggression even after controlling for proactive aggression. These findings have implications for postdisaster mental health services. Researchers examining mental health problems in youth after a significant disaster have traditionally focused on the presence of internalizing problems such as anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, with very little empirical attention paid to the incidence of post-disaster externalizing problems such as aggression. Specific types of aggressive responses, particularly those that involve poorly regulated emotion (i.e., reactive aggression), have been shown to be associated with a history of trauma and thus may be especially common following a traumatic event such as a hurricane.

Assessing the Forms and Functions of Aggression Using Self-Report: Factor Structure and Invariance of the Peer Conflict Scale in Youths

This study examined the structure of a self-report measure of the forms and functions of aggression in 855 adolescents (582 boys, 266 girls) aged 12 to 19 years recruited from high school, detained, and residential settings. The Peer Conflict Scale (PCS) is a 40-item measure that was developed to improve upon existing measures and provide an efficient, reliable, and valid assessment of four dimensions of aggression (i.e., reactive overt, reactive relational, proactive overt, and proactive relational) in youths. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that a 4-factor model represented a satisfactory solution for the data. The factor structure fit well for both boys and girls and across high school, detained, and residential samples. Internal consistency estimates were good for the 4 factors, and they showed expected associations with externalizing variables (i.e., arrest history, callous-unemotional traits, and delinquency). Reactive and proactive subtypes showed unique associations consistent with previous literature. Implications for the use of the PCS to assess aggression and inform intervention decisions in diverse samples of youths are discussed.

Profiles of the forms and functions of self-reported aggression in three adolescent samples

In the current study, we addressed several issues related to the forms (physical and relational) and functions (reactive and proactive) of aggression in community (n = 307), voluntary residential (n = 1,917), and involuntarily detained (n = 659) adolescents (ages 11-19 years). Across samples, boys self-reported more physical aggression and girls reported more relational aggression, with the exception of higher levels of both forms of aggression in detained girls. Further, few boys showed high rates of relational aggression without also showing high rates of physical aggression. In contrast, it was not uncommon for girls to show high rates of relational aggression alone, and these girls tended to also have high levels of problem behavior (e.g., delinquency) and mental health problems (e.g., emotional dysregulation and callous-unemotional traits). Finally, for physical aggression in both boys and girls, and for relational aggression in girls, there was a clear pattern of aggressive behavior that emerged from cluster analyses across samples. Two aggression clusters emerged, with one group showing moderately high reactive aggression and a second group showing both high reactive and high proactive aggression (combined group). On measures of severity (e.g., self-reported delinquency and arrests) and etiologically important variables (e.g., emotional regulation and callous-unemotional traits), the reactive aggression group was more severe than a nonaggressive cluster but less severe than the combined aggressive cluster.

Callous-unemotional traits in incarcerated adolescents.

The presence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits designates a subgroup of antisocial youth at risk for severe, aggressive, and stable conduct problems. As a result, these traits should be considered as part of the criteria for conduct disorder. The present study tests 2 possible symptom sets (4- and 9-item criteria sets) of CU traits that could be used in diagnostic classification, assessed using self-report with a sample of 643 incarcerated adolescent (M age = 16.50, SD = 1.63 years) boys (n = 493) and girls (n = 150). Item response theory analysis was employed to examine the unique characteristics of each criterion comprising the 2 sets to determine their clinical utility. Results indicated that most items comprising the measure of CU traits demonstrated adequate psychometric properties. Whereas the 9-item criteria set provided more information and was internally consistent, the briefer 4-item set was equally effective at identifying youth at-risk for poor outcomes associated with the broader CU construct. Supporting the clinical utility of the criteria sets, incarcerated boys and girls who endorsed high levels of CU symptoms across criteria sets were particularly at-risk for proactive aggression and violent delinquency.

Aggressive Behavior and Its Associations With Posttraumatic Stress and Academic Achievement Following a Natural Disaster

Despite an abundance of evidence linking maltreatment and violence-related trauma exposure to externalizing problems in youth, there is surprisingly little evidence to support a direct link between disaster exposure and youth aggressive behavior. This study tested the theory that there is primarily an indirect association between disaster exposure and aggression via posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The current study also examined the association between aggression and academic achievement. A sample of 191 4th- to 8th-grade minority youth who experienced Hurricane Katrina were assessed for aggressive behavior using the Peer Conflict Scale (PCS), disaster exposure, PTSD symptoms, and academic achievement. Structural equation modeling of the set of associations was consistent with the theory suggesting that there is an indirect link between disaster exposure and aggression through PTSD symptoms. Aggression was negatively associated with academic achievement, and modeling indicated that the set of associations was age and gender invariant. Findings advance the theoretical understanding of the linkage between aggression and disaster exposure. Findings also support the utility of the PCS in disaster research and the link between PCS scores and academic achievement.

Callous-Unemotional Traits and Happy Victimization: Relationships with Delinquency in a Sample of Detained Girls

The current study examined associations between callous-unemotional (CU) traits (total CU, callousness, uncaring, and unemotional), happy victimization (i.e., the experience of positive emotions or absence of negative emotions following a transgression) and delinquency (total, violent, and nonviolent) in 59 detained girls (78% African American, 22% Caucasian) aged 12 to 18 years. Results indicated positive associations between happy victimization, CU traits, and delinquency. Happy victimization was also positively associated with delinquency, even when controlling for CU traits. Further, the callousness dimension of CU traits selectively moderated these relationships such that happy victimization was positively associated with total delinquency and violent delinquency only under high callousness conditions.

Identity Exploration, Commitment, and Existential Anxiety as Predictors of the Forms and Functions of Aggression

This study explores the unique linkages among identity exploration, identity commitment, existential anxiety, and the different forms (relational and overt) and functions (proactive and reactive) of peer aggression in youth. Participants were high school students (N = 133) aged 15 to 19 years. In terms of zero-order associations, existential anxiety was positively associated with each of the four types of aggression whereas identity exploration and identity commitment were only associated (negatively) with proactive overt aggression. However, in terms of unique associations, identity exploration was negatively associated with proactive aggression (overt and relational) whereas existential anxiety was positively associated with all but proactive relational aggression. Identity commitment was not uniquely associated with any of the forms and functions of aggression. Findings are discussed in terms of consistency with theory as well as unique and possible suppressor relationships. Avenues for additional research on the role of identity development in mitigating peer aggression are explored.

Identification of Critical Items on the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument – 2 (MAYSI-2) in Incarcerated Youth

Previous research has indicated that the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument – Second Version (MAYSI-2) has clinical utility in screening and identifying justice-involved youth with mental health problems. In an effort to expand research on the validity of the MAYSI-2, the current study investigated patterns of endorsement on MAYSI-2 items to identify “critical items” that may serve as important indicators of serious mental health problems. Results identified a subset of MAYSI-2 items for male (13 items) and female youth (14 items) that hold promise in identifying youth with serious mental health problems. Gender-specific critical items scales were formed with optimized categorical cut-scores identified which were comparable to the standard MAYSI-2 scale scoring procedures. The critical items scales produced excellent internal consistency and promising predictive validity. Potential clinical applications and steps for further validation of this adjunctive scoring approach are offered.