Nature or nurture? Twin study sheds light on the development of callous-unemotional traits in adolescents

Parenting practices appear to act as a pathway between parental psychopathy and callous-unemotional traits in adolescents, according to a new study published in Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology that examined hundreds of twins. The findings provide evidence that callous-unemotional traits among youth are not entirely attributable to genetic risk factors. Callous-unemotional traits include characteristics such as limited guilt, reduced empathic concern, and reduced displays of appropriate emotion. Callous-unemotional traits have been associated with the development of more seriou...