Psychopathic traits during early childhood : Stable over time or rapidly changing?

• Although research has shown psychopathic traits to be moderately to highly stable in late childhood and adolescence, little is known about stability in early childhood, specifically in preschool age. The current study was designed to fill this knowledge gap by assessing stability of psychopathic traits in a large community sample (n = 2,121) of three- to five-year-olds (47% girls) across a two-year time span. The sample displayed stable levels of Grandiose-Deceitful (GD), Callous-Unemotional (CU) and Impulsivity, Need for Stimulation (INS) traits. However, the degree of stability varieda cross these three traits dimensions, and by level of analysis, age, and gender. Rank-order stability ranged from low to very high, but effect sizes indicated less stability than on the mean level, where changes were detected but with small effect sizes, thus demonstrating high stability. This trend emerged for both genders, across development, and age. At an individual level, the great majority of the sample displayed stable levels of psychopathic traits to a large extent, with small gender and age differences. The current study is one of the first that investigates stability in children as young as three years old, and it highlights the possibility of measuring psychopathic traits in early childhood.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Kriminologi

Criminology

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)