`Parenting practices and callous unemotional traits predict behavioral infractions at military-style youth challenge academies

Behavioral infractions may impede adolescents’ ability to benefit from programing in residential settings since such infractions may limit program participation. Identifying adolescents who are at risk of behavioral infractions can help to target supports to these youth. The current study tested hypothesized links between callous-unemotional (CU) traits, parenting practices, and disciplinary infractions. Participants were 292 adolescents attending a military-style residential program (M age = 16.76, SD = 0.731; 82.9% male; 66.2% White and 33.8% Black). Participants completed the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU; Frick, 2004 ) and the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ; Frick, 1991 ). Disciplinary infractions were accessed via program archival records. Black adolescents reported higher CU traits than did White adolescents and received a higher number of infractions during the program. There were no racial group differences in reports of parenting practices. A Poisson regression that included race suggested that CU traits (IRR = 1.015, p < .001), negative parenting (IRR = 1.011, p < .001), and positive parenting (IRR = 0.995, p = .012) each significantly predicted behavioral infractions in hypothesized directions. Study limitations, implications, and future research directions are discussed.