Callous-Unemotional Traits and Empathy Moderate the Relation Between Exposure to Violence and Adolescent Delinquency

More than half of American adolescents report being directly or indirectly exposed to violence each year. These exposures are associated with a higher likelihood of engaging in delinquent, or illegal, behaviors that confer significant personal and societal implications. The moderating influence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits and cognitive and affective empathy on the relation between indirect exposure to violence and adolescent delinquency was investigated to potentially determine those at highest risk of engaging in antisocial behaviors. This study collected data from 311 at-risk adolescents (231 males, 79 females, 1 preferring not to say) ages 16-19 (M = 17.55, SD = 0.65) attending a quasi-military residential program. Consistent with hypotheses, exposure to violence was associated with engaging in all types of delinquent acts when controlling for CU traits and empathy. When entered into a simultaneous regression, higher CU traits were uniquely related to higher levels of violent and property delinquency, and higher levels of cognitive empathy were uniquely related to higher levels of property and drug delinquency. The presence of CU traits strengthened the relation between exposure and violent delinquency; however, affective empathy decreased the strength of the relation. These findings demonstrate the potential relevance of the association between emotionality and violence perpetration among adolescents who are indirectly exposed to violence.