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Background

There is mixed evidence supporting the fearlessness hypothesis for the development of callous-unemotional (CU) traits. These mixed findings may be explained by the differential associations between the factors of CU traits (ie, uncaring, callousness, and unemotional) and fear. This study tested the relation between CU factors and fear reactivity during an immersive VR fear induction battery.

Methods

Youth (N= 61; Mage= 15) with conduct disorder completed React VR and reported how they felt during the experience on a Likert fear scale. React VR was developed in accordance with the Acute Threat domain of NIMH's RDoC Negative Valence System and includes five scenarios to measure agoraphobia, social fears, fear of aggression, fear of harmless animals, and fear of injury. CU traits were collected from the primary caregiver using the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits.

Results

Linear …