Utility of the Limited Prosocial Emotions Specifier in Preschoolers With Conduct Problems

Abstract

This study examined the clinical utility of the “Limited Prosocial Emotions” (LPE) specifier (i.e., prevalence rates, group differences, and predictive utility) in a high-risk preschool sample ( N = 109, M age = 4.77) presenting with conduct problems (CPs; n = 59). First, LPE prevalence rates ranged from 7.7% to 89.8%. Next, few group differences were observed between with CP-only and CP+LPE; youth with CP+LPE differed from youth with CP-only on callous-unemotional (CU) traits and verbal ability, but not on externalizing or internalizing psychopathology, nor on parenting experiences. In the full sample, youth with LPE differed from youth without LPE on externalizing and internalizing psychopathology, parenting, and verbal ability. Finally, LPE predicted greater baseline CP but did not predict trajectories of CP. Findings highlight the clinical utility of the LPE specifier during early childhood and call for a refinement of the LPE specifier to improve its clinical value.