NCJ Number
254438
Journal
Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology Volume: 48 Issue: 1 Dated: 2019 Pages: 68-79
Date Published
2019
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether callous-unemotional (CU) traits predicted risky sexual behavior (i.e., unprotected sex, casual sex) and whether substance use and sensation seeking mediated this relationship over 24 months in justice-involved young men.
Abstract
Participants (N - 1,216) were an ethnically and racially diverse sample (46.3 percent White Latino, 38 percent Black, 15.7 percent White non-Latino) of first-time offending male adolescents (ages 13-17 years) from three U.S. cities. Participants completed five self-reported interviews at 6-month intervals over 2 years. Bootstrapped mediation analyses were conducted to test direct effects of CU traits on risky sexual behaviors, as well as indirect effects through substance use and sensation seeking. CU traits at baseline were positively associated with risky sexual behavior 18-24 months later. CU traits were also associated with the hypothesized mediators, sensation seeking and substance use, measured 6-12 months after baseline. CU traits exerted direct effects on later unprotected sex and casual sex, as well as indirect effects through substance use, but not sensation seeking. These effects were largely unchanged when accounting for the youth's level of self-reported delinquency. These findings indicate that CU traits predict later risky sexual outcomes, and this is at least partly explained by substance use. Further, the findings highlight the importance of CU traits for several outcomes that are of significant public health concern among justice-involved adolescents, namely, risky sexual behavior and substance use. (publisher abstract modified)