Dan Waschbusch, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychiatry, Penn State Hershey Medical Center,
Penn State
“Assessment and Treatment of Conduct Problems in Children:
The Moderating Role of Callous-Unemotional Traits”
Presentation Abstract
Callous-unemotional (CU) traits refer to a construct typified by a lack of guilt
following misbehavior, a lack of empathy for the misfortune of others, and a lack of
investment in or caring about important domains of development. Interest in
understanding CU traits in children has grown dramatically since it was first
introduced two decades ago; it was recently introduced as a modifier of conduct
disorder in the current (fifth) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders. This presentation will provide an overview of this area of research,
with an emphasis on implications for the prevention and treatment of conduct
problems in children.