Predicting risky sexual behaviour in adolescence and early adulthood: the unique and interactive roles of childhood conduct disorder symptoms and callous-unemotional traits

The relationship between conduct problems and risky sexual behaviour has been explored previously; however, how callous-unemotional (CU) traits and the interaction between conduct disorder (CD) symptoms and CU traits contribute to risky sexual behaviour has been explored infrequently. This study aimed to investigate the role that CD symptoms, CU traits, and their interaction play in predicting several risky sexual behaviour outcomes in adolescence and early adulthood. Results showed that CD symptoms and CU traits uniquely and interactively predicted a number of risky sexual behaviours during adolescence and early adulthood. This study provides meaningful information regarding the importance of both CD symptoms and CU traits in understanding health-risk behaviours. These findings may provide a foundation for developing and implementing interventions to address these behaviours among this population.