Callous‐Unemotional Trait Prosocial Limitations Are Moderated by Cognitive Control Impacting Theory of Mind in Adolescents

Although callous-unemotional (CU) traits are linked with antisocial behavior, affected youth still engage in some prosocial behaviors. The factors contributing to prosocial behavior in these youth are relatively unknown. Relevant factors (known to inversely associate with CU traits and positively associated with prosocial behavior) are complex affective theory of mind (aToM) and cognitive control. In line with recent work demonstrating that cognitive control influences complex aToM in youth with CU traits, we investigated whether its impact moderates the association between CU traits and both a behavioral measure of prosocial behavior and a self-reported measure of prosocial motivation (prosocial rewards). Participants (n = 81, 52% female) completed self-reports and a behavioral paradigm to assess prosocial motivations and behavior alongside CU traits. Results revealed that CU traits were negatively associated with prosocial rewards and goals. And, of primary interest, cognitive control's impact on aToM moderated the association between CU traits and both prosocial rewards and prosocial behavior. Findings suggest that vulnerability to cognitive load-reflected by decrements in aToM-predicts lower prosocial behavior, whereas those that are more resilient to cognitive demands are more likely to engage in prosocial behavior. This demonstrates that the level of resilience to cognitive demands on complex aToM accuracy is an important contextual factor for understanding prosocial behavior in youth with CU traits.