Few studies have assessed psychopathic traits in community samples of young
people. We investigated the predictive utility of callous and unemotional
traits in a representative sample of 5770 young people from Great Britain.
Teachers provided information on the presence of callous and unemotional
traits and parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to
determine the level and impact of psychiatric problems at baseline, 12 and
24 months later. Baseline callous and unemotional trait scores independently
predicted the number and intensity of conduct, emotional and hyperactivity
symptoms at follow-up. Callous and unemotional traits are longitudinally
associated with the level and impact of childhood psychiatric problems.