Revelations: The Role of Callous-Unemotional Traits and Anxiety in the Relationship between Aggression and Treatment Outcome in Conduct Disordered Youth
Keywords
Loading...
Authors
Issue Date
2019-09-23
Language
en
Document type
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Title
ISSN
Volume
Issue
Startpage
Endpage
DOI
Abstract
There is very little literature on the relation between aggression and treatment outcome (TO) in
youth with conduct disorder (CD), and the nature of this relation remains unclear. Since both
anxiety and callous-unemotional (CU) traits are strongly related to aggression, this study aimed
to clarify the relationship between aggression and TO in youth with CD, focusing on anxiety and
CU traits within a mindfulness-based treatment approach. Questionnaires measuring proactive
and reactive aggression, anxiety and CU traits were administered to youth living in residential
care before and after youth receive treatment and were used to predict TO. Results showed that
reactive aggression, but not proactive aggression, was negatively related to TO in adolescents
with CD and anxiety mediated this relationship. Furthermore, adolescents with CD higher on CU
traits responded better to treatment than those lower on CU traits. From the results it can be
concluded that addressing anxiety is essential to increase treatment response in treating
adolescents with CD for aggressive behavioral problems. Moreover, mindfulness based
meditation treatments are a promising type of treatment for adolescents with CD, although more
research is needed.
Description
Citation
Supervisor
Faculty
Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen