Sensitivity to teachers’ punishment and social affiliation with teachers: Unique and interactive effects to callous-unemotional traits among preadolescents

• Published in: Journal of research in personality 2022-08, Vol.99, p.104247, Article 104247
• Main Authors: Baroncelli, Andrea, Facci, Carolina, Ciucci, Enrica
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Affiliation with teachers; Callous-unemotional traits; Dissatisfaction with teachers; Preadolescence; Punishment sensitivity
• ISSN: 0092-6566; 1095-7251
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2022.104247

•We investigated the unique and interactive effects of sensitivity to teachers’ punishment and social affiliation with teachers in their associations to callous-unemotional traits.•The findings suggest that higher levels of sensitivity to teachers’ punishment were negatively associated to callous-unemotional traits especially at low (versus high) levels of dissatisfaction with teachers.•The findings could enrich the debate about school-based intervention strategies for students with high levels of CU traits.•This study constitutes a starting point for further investigations into the role of various factors (e.g., temperamental, and relational) in the developmental trajectories to CU traits in youths. This study tested the unique and interactive effects of sensitivity to teachers’ punishment and social affiliation with teachers to callous-unemotional traits in a community sample of 695 middle school students (352 girls, 50.65 %; M age = 12.90 years, SD = 0.91 years). Over and above gender, school grade, and levels of both internalizing and externalizing problems, sensitivity to teachers’ punishment and affiliation with teachers were uniquely and negatively associated to callous-unemotional traits. Moreover, a significant interaction term suggested that higher levels of sensitivity to teachers’ punishment were negatively associated to callous-unemotional traits especially at low (versus high) levels of dissatisfaction with teachers. Emerged results were read in light of the recent Sensitivity to Threat and Affiliative Reward (STAR) Model.