DID YOUR MUM NOT HUG YOU ENOUGH? The effects of attachment experience and callous-unemotional Traits on catcalling behavior in men

Catcalling is a type of street harassment which occurs almost daily for most women since their teenage years. The present study aimed to investigate the developmental mechanisms of street harassment in perpetrators. We tested a mediation model in which negative parental attachment experiences are linked to the manifestation of callous-unemotional (CU) Traits which may relate to catcalling. Our model revealed that positive maternal attachment experience is negatively associated with the manifestation of CU Traits, that are further associated with catcalling. Negative paternal attachment experience was directly associated with catcalling. This effect, however, was not modulated via CU Traits. Our findings suggest an inclined position of the maternal relationship quality in the developmental aspects of CU Traits and, in further consequence, street harassment.