Emotional processing in children with Disruptive Behavior Disorder: the role of Callous Unemotional traits

The manuscript explores the emotional processing (i.e., emotion recognition skills, emotional responsiveness, gaze pattern towards emotional stimuli) in a sample of children with Disruptive Behavior Disorder, focusing on the role of Callous Unemotional (CU) traits. Participants completed an emotion recognition task that required them to watch 24 images depicting happy, sad, angry, fearful, disgusted, and neutral facial expressions on a flat-screen. Gaze pattern and electrodermal activity were recorded during the task. Findings showed that children with Disruptive Behavior Disorder and high levels of CU traits presented emotion recognition and gaze pattern deficits. Results also revealed that parenting practices moderated the link between gaze pattern impairments and CU traits. A deeper understanding of CU traits' underpinnings would improve our capability to identify those who are more likely to head towards the most unfavorable pathways and provide them with more tailored treatment options.