Callous-Unemotional Traits and Anti-Social Behavior among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Self-Serving Cognitive Distortions

The present study aims to cross-sectionally investigate the relationship between callous-unemotional (CU) traits and anti-social behaviour (ASB), along with exploring the mediating role of self-serving cognitive distortions (SSCD) among adolescents. The study sample comprised 300 adolescents (14-19 years) who completed the following questionnaires, how I Think Questionnaire (Barriga et al., 2001), Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (Frick, 2004) and Sub-types of Anti-social Behavior Scale (Burt & Donnellan, 2009). The study investigated the mediating role of SSCD in the relationship between CU traits and ASB. Current research also investigated age group (Early and Late Adolescents) and family system (Joint and Nuclear Family) differences in CU traits, SSCD and ASB among adolescents. For data analysis, t-test, ANOVA and mediation analysis were used. Findings showed that SSCD partially mediated the link between CU traits and ASB among adolescents. Results also showed that early adolescents scored high on CU traits, SSCD, and ASB compared to late adolescents. According to the results, there were no significant differences among students of the nuclear and joint family systems on CU traits, SSCD and ASB. Overall findings revealed the importance of understanding callous-unemotional traits and the role of self-serving distortions in addressing anti-social behavioural issues among adolescents.