Psychopathic Traits and Delinquency Trajectories in Adolescence (original) (raw)
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Journal of psychopathology and behavioral assessment, 2018
The aim of this study was to compare callous-unemotional (CU) traits versus the multidimensional psychopathy construct in their ability to predict future and stable antisocial behavior. At baseline, a community sample of 996 Cypriot 12-year old adolescents (52% girls) completed measures that tap conduct problems (CP) and psychopathic traits, including CU. CP, aggression, and substance use were self-reported at 1-3 year follow-ups. Youths were assigned to six mutually exclusive groups based on their baseline levels of CP and psychopathic traits. Youth with CP scoring high on all three psychopathic traits dimensions () showed the most robust and highest risk for future and stable CP, aggression, and substance use, followed by youth who were high on all three psychopathic traits dimensions but displayed no concurrent CP () and CP youth with low levels of psychopathic traits (). Youth with CP who merely manifested callous-unemotional traits () were only at risk for future CP. The findin...
Temperament and character differences in psychopathic and non-psychopathic antisocial adolescents
Primenjena psihologija
The present study tested the possibility of distinguishing between different types of antisocial adolescents based on psychopathic characteristics, and the differences between antisocial adolescents of different ages and subtypes in relation to the Cloninger's personality dimension. The sample included 101 antisocial male adolescents, divided into two age groups (71 respondents in the 13-17 age group and 30 in the 18-25 age group). After conducting model-based cluster analyses, non-psychopathic type (without pronounced signs of psychopathy) and psychopathic type (with pronounced antisocial, lifestyle and interpersonal facet) (Hare’s model) were singled out in the whole sample. Within the psychopathic type, in comparison with juveniles, older adolescents showed a significantly lower expression of character dimensions of Self-directedness and Cooperativeness, which are key in determining all personality disorders. Within the group of juvenile offenders, members of the two subtypes...
Psychopathic traits and offending trajectories from early adolescence to adulthood
Journal of Criminal Justice, 2014
Measures of adolescent psychopathy have yet to be examined in offending trajectory studies. This may explain why identifying etiological differences between individuals following high-rate and moderate-rate offending trajectories has remained elusive. The current study used the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) to examine psychopathic traits and offending trajectories within a sample of incarcerated offenders. Methods: Convictions were measured for Canadian male (n = 243) and female (n = 64) offenders at each year between ages 12 and 28. Semi-parametric group based modeling identified four unique trajectories: adolescence-limited (AL) (27.3% of sample), explosive-onset fast desister (EOFD) (30.6%), high-rate slow desister (HRSD) (14.6%), and high frequency chronic (HFC) (27.5%). Findings: Both a three and a four factor model of psychopathy were tested, and both factor structures were positively and significantly associated with the HRSD and HFC trajectories. Regarding individual factors of psychopathy, the 'Antisocial' factor of the PCL:YV was the only individual dimension significantly associated with membership in high-rate compared to moderate-rate offending trajectories. Conclusions: Psychopathic traits appear more commonly present amongst individuals who follow chronic versus moderate offending trajectories. Implications for early intervention and risk management of offenders are discussed.
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 2021
The aim of the present study is to examine the possible role of psychopathic traits as a moderator of the aggression-antisociality/delinquency link. Our sample was composed of 567 youth (M = 15.91 years, SD = 0.99 years, age range = 14-18 years) from Portugal. Results indicated that psychopathic features significantly moderate four different forms and functions of aggressionproactive overt, proactive relational, reactive overt, and reactive relationalwhen predicting delinquency. However, psychopathic traits only significantly moderate proactive relational aggression when predicting Conduct Disorder. Psychopathic traits and aggression constitute an antisocial alchemy for antisocial behavior but more research is needed about moderation effects therein particularly among clinical and justice system involved samples of youth to inform behavioral interventions.
European Journal of Personality, 2002
The present study addresses the question of whether it is possible to use a self‐report measure of psychopathic traits on non‐referred youth samples to identify a subgroup of problematic youths who are particularly problematic and different from other problem youths. A large sample of eighth‐grade, non‐referred adolescents, and their parents were assessed. Results showed that the adolescents exhibiting a low‐socialized psychopathy‐like personality constellation had a more frequent, violent, and versatile conduct‐problem profile than other low‐socialized and well socialized adolescents. The psychopathy‐like adolescents also differed from other poorly socialized adolescents in ways that suggested that their etiological background was different from adolescents with non‐psychopathy‐like conduct problems. We conclude that self‐report measures can indeed be useful for research purposes in subtyping youths with conduct problems. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Journal of Criminal Justice, 2015
Purpose: Criminal career research has recently found that symptoms of psychopathy are more prevalent among offenders following chronic offending trajectories. In the current study, the ability of psychopathy to predict involvement in chronic offending trajectories above other criminogenic risk factors was examined. Methods: Criminal convictions were measured for Canadian male (n = 262) and female (n = 64) offenders at each year between ages 12 and 28. Semi-parametric group-based modeling identified four unique trajectories labeled bell-shape offenders (27.9% of sample), slow desisters (28.5%), slow rising chronic offenders (19.0%), and high rate chronic offenders (24.5%). Results: The four and three factor model of the PCL: YV were associated with the most chronic and serious offending trajectory even after controlling for a variety of relevant criminogenic risk factors. Self-reported involvement in weekly physical fights was a significant predictor of trajectory group membership, but most criminogenic risk factors were more informative of the strength of the relationship between higher symptoms of psychopathy and offending trajectories than of a direct effect of a specific risk factor on the unfolding of offending. Conclusions: Interpersonal and affective symptoms of psychopathy were not related to chronic offending. Future research should examine whether these symptoms are related specifically to involvement in violent offending.
Fledgling Psychopathic Features and Pathological Delinquency: New Evidence
American Journal of Criminal Justice, 2013
Fledgling psychopathy is a construct that has proven useful in organizing the nomological network of conduct problems and psychopathology in children and adolescents. Drawing on data from an institutionalized sample of delinquents (n=252), the current study compared ADHD, CD, and ADHD+CD youth on psychopathic personality features and their association with pathological delinquency. Youths with ADHD+CD were significantly more psychopathic than their peers. Although callousness, unemotionality, and remorselessness are generally theorized to define the fledgling psychopathic youth, ROC-AUC models found that thrillseeking and impulsiveness were the strongest classification variables for delinquency and violent delinquency at the 90th percentiles. Implications for research and practice with antisocial youth are proffered.
Psychopathic Traits in Adolescence and the Five Factor Model of Personality
Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 2012
The present study aimed to expand work on psychopathic traits and the Five Factor Model (FFM; . The associations between the three factors of psychopathy and personality traits-assessed by means of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI, Andershed et al. 2002) and the Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R; Costa and McCrae 1992)-were explored in a community sample of 152 male adolescents and young adults. The unique relations of each YPI subscale with the NEO domains/ facets were examined by computing partial correlations controlling for the scores on the other two YPI psychopathy subscales. The YPI Callous/Unemotional dimension exhibited negative associations with Extraversion, Openness, and Agreeableness. The YPI Impulsive/Irresponsible factor was positively associated with Extraversion and negatively with Conscientiousness. The YPI Grandiose/ Manipulative factor displayed positive associations with Openness and Conscientiousness. We discuss the implications of the differential associations of the three psychop-athy factors with the Five Factor domains/facets for theories of the etiology of psychopathy.
Psychopathic Traits in Youth and Associations with Temperamental Features
Journal of Individual Differences, 2013
The present study aims to disentangle motivational and self-regulatory pathways to psychopathic traits in youth with severe antisocial behavior. The associations between self-reported psychopathic traits and indices derived from a laboratory measure assessing fear sensitivity and self-regulation were evaluated. Low scores on fear sensitivity and self-regulation were related to high scores on the self-reported Callous/Unemotional factor of psychopathic traits and the Callousness dimension in particular. The present study provides at least partial evidence for both motivational (low-fear hypothesis; Lykken, 1995 ) and self-regulatory (response modulation hypothesis; Patterson & Newman, 1993 ) accounts of psychopathic traits in youth.
Short-Term Stability of Psychopathic Traits in Adolescent Offenders
Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 2009
There is considerable debate about the assessment of psychopathic traits in adolescence due in part to questions regarding the stability of traits. We investigated the 6-month stability of psychopathic traits in a sample of 83 male adolescent offenders using an augmented protocol for the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version and the self-report Antisocial Process Screening Device. Findings suggested moderate to high stability of psychopathic traits, as indexed by total scores, and low to moderate stability of psychopathic traits at the factor level. The interpersonal and behavioral traits demonstrated greater stability relative to the affective traits, and stability varied by developmental stage, with lower stability in early adolescence. Implications for understanding the developmental expression of psychopathic traits in adolescence, as well as for clinical-forensic practice, are discussed. Extensive research using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 1991, 2003) illustrates the importance of psychopathy for managing individuals in forensic and criminal populations. For example, psychopathic offenders commit more general and violent crime, and are less motivated and less responsive to treatment (Douglas, Vincent, & Edens, 2006; Harris & Rice, 2006). As such, interest has extended downward into investigating child and adolescent psychopathic traits to identify youth at high risk for serious and violent delinquency and potentially address the etiology of the disorder. Much of the research assessing adolescent psychopathic traits has used the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV; Forth, Kosson, & Hare, 2003), and there is substantial evidence for reliability and validity. Psychopathic traits in adolescents demonstrate moderate to large associations with externalizing disorders, such as conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but smaller associations with internalizing disorders, such as anxiety and depression