Search Results (45)

Psychopathy in women remains understudied, particularly regarding the role of early relational experiences such as attachment. This systematic review aims to synthesize the current evidence on the association between attachment-related factors and psychopathic traits in women. A structured search following PRISMA guidelines across multidisciplinary databases (Scopus-Elsevier^®, ESBCO^®, Pubmed^®, Sage Publishing^®, B-On, and Web of Science-Core Collection^®) yielded 147 articles, of which eight met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the studies met three to four out of the five methodological quality criteria. Findings indicate that insecure attachment styles are differentially associated with psychopathy. Avoidant attachment is positively linked to callous-unemotional traits, whereas the role of anxious attachment appears more heterogeneous. Some studies associate it with higher levels of affective traits and secondary psychopathy, while others identify it as a negative predictor of callous-unemotional features in women. Avoidant attachment was also negatively correlated with empathy and positively related to maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, particularly among women with secondary psychopathic traits. Negative maternal parenting was associated with elevated psychopathic traits, whereas positive parental involvement acted as a protective factor. Additional predictors included early maladaptive schemas and childhood risk factors such as parental criminality and poor supervision. These findings highlight the relevance of early intervention and attachment-informed approaches in forensic risk assessment, trauma-informed care, and prevention programs targeting women with psychopathic traits. Full article

In informal economic contexts, migrant entrepreneurs have been extolled as highly resilient and adaptable. This study critically investigates the adverse psychological foundations inherent in such enterprises, focusing on how dark triad personality traits emerge in the leadership orientations of marginal migrant entrepreneurs. Following a qualitative ethnographic approach, this research engaged 10–15 migrant employees through participant observation, field notes, and semi-structured interviews in an informal economic context. Thematic analysis revealed five dominant patterns: narcissistic leadership with entitlement and emotional disrespect; Machiavellian behavior of manipulation and deception; psychopathic detachment in emotional callousness; absence of light triad actions such as empathy, humility, and selflessness; and moral disengagement through rationalizations such as “everyone does it” or system blame. Migrant business owners prefer to rationalize their exploitative acts as being necessary for economic survival, thus legitimizing immoral conduct and suppressing moral self-regulation. The findings indicate that marginality not only drives entrepreneurial innovation, but also has the potential to create exploitative inclinations that are institutionally and morally unchecked. Solving this issue requires not only mere psychological awareness, but also systematic reforms that foster ethical robustness and emotional sensitivity. This study ultimately asserts the need to reframe migrant entrepreneurship discourse, including both ethical and psychological accountability. Full article

Although the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) is one of the most widely used instruments for assessing psychopathic traits, the reliability estimates of the APSD show great heterogeneity across different studies. This investigation evaluated the reliability of the APSD using a reliability generalization meta-analytic technique across 158 studies (N = 75,749). The APSD demonstrated marginal to acceptable coefficient alphas ranging from 0.62 (for the Callous–Unemotional subscale) to 0.79 (for the total scale). Further moderation analysis revealed that the differences in administration formats significantly explained the variance of coefficient alphas for the APSD total and subscales, and the self-report version of the APSD manifested poorer coefficient alphas than other-report versions. The standard deviation of scale scores also partly accounted for the variance of the coefficient alphas. Overall, the APSD was found to be a reliable, practical measurement of psychopathic traits in youth, which can be widely applied in various study settings. Nevertheless, we recommend that parent- and teacher-report versions of the APSD as the preferred administering format of the measure when used for children and juveniles, while the self-report version of the APSD is recommended with caution when assessing youth psychopathy, unless multiple-assess methods are used. Full article

The aim of this study was to investigate whether juror characteristics, namely, age, attitudes surrounding coercive control and psychopathic personality traits (PPT), can influence Guilty or Not Guilty verdicts in a developed coercive control trial. One hundred and thirty-five participants (N = 135) completed an online survey consisting of elements of a mock coercive control trial and three questionnaires: the Coercive Control subsection of the Modern Adolescent Dating Violence Attitudes (MADVA (CC)) Scale, the Psychopathic Personality Traits Scale—Revised (PPTS-R) and the Juror Decision Scale (JDS). The results of the analysis demonstrated significant positive correlations between MADVA (CC) scores and all four subscales of the PPTS-R, highlighting the relationship between psychopathy traits and coercive control attitudes. Binary logistic regression findings showed that higher scores on the MADVA (CC) Scale were the only significant predictor of returning a Not Guilty verdict. Those who also returned a Not Guilty verdict had more accepting controlling behaviour attitudes, scored higher for defendant believability and were less confident in their overall decision. Findings from the current study highlight the significance of attitudes in a juror decision-making context. The significance of attitudes may also be applicable to police officers and other agencies within the criminal justice system. Additional efforts need to be made regarding the identification of coercive control tactics, and training programmes should be implemented within the police to increase identification of these behaviours in order and to improve case progression. This may increase the likelihood of a jury being required in these cases. Furthermore, Not Guilty verdicts were given with significantly less confidence than Guilty verdicts, although they have the same influence at trial. More research needs to be carried out to explore the development and maintenance of accepting attitudes towards coercive control, and there is a need for better education regarding coercive control to attempt to tackle harmful attitudes towards it and aim for fairer trials. Full article

The rapid expansion of digital communication platforms has created new spaces for antisocial, manipulative, and emotionally detached behaviors. While psychopathy has been extensively studied in clinical and forensic settings, its digital manifestation, referred to as cyberpsychopathy, remains conceptually underdefined. This integrative review aimed to synthesize empirical research exploring psychopathy and aversive personality traits in online contexts to identify key conceptual domains and propose a preliminary definition. A systematic search across five databases yielded 35 peer-reviewed studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Using a biopsychosocial framework and thematic synthesis, six interrelated domains were identified: online behaviors (e.g., trolling and deception), online environments (e.g., anonymity and reward mechanisms), sociodemographic factors (e.g., age and gender), personality traits (e.g., psychopathy and narcissism), psychological factors (e.g., emotion dysregulation and low self-esteem), and motivations (e.g., dominance and emotional compensation). These domains interact to shape how psychopathic tendencies manifest online. Most studies were of moderate-to-high methodological quality, though variability limited direct comparisons. We propose cyberpsychopathy as a multidimensional construct representing the expression of aversive traits facilitated by digital affordances and psychological vulnerabilities. This review provides a foundational framework for understanding cyberpsychopathy and underscores the need for empirical validation and the development of assessment tools suited to digital behavior in both clinical and forensic settings. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cyber intimate partner violence (CIPV) in adolescents is influenced by individual and relational factors, including psychopathic traits, antisocial and law-violating behaviors, child-to-parent violence, and dating violence. This study examines predictors of cyber aggression, cyber control perpetration, cyber victimization, and received cyber control using hierarchical regression models (HRMs) and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). Method: A total of 207 Spanish adolescents (M = 16.18; SD = 1.52) aged 14–18 years completed measures of psychopathy (P-16), antisocial behavior (ECADA), child-to-parent violence (CTS2), and dating violence (CADRI), together with Violence in Adolescent Relationships on Social Media (e-VPA). Results: HRM showed that child-to-parent violence and experienced dating violence were common predictors across cyber aggression, cyber victimization, and received cyber control. Cyber control perpetration was mainly influenced by psychopathy and perpetrated dating violence. fsQCA revealed multiple pathways leading to high levels of CIPV, combining psychopathy, antisocial behaviors, and family and partner violence. However, cyber aggression perpetration could not be analyzed due to insufficient variability. Conclusions: The findings suggest that CIPV might stem from complex interactions between individual traits and offline relational violence. Prevention efforts should address both family dynamics and dating violence to mitigate cyber aggression and victimization in adolescent relationships. Full article

Introduction: Child-to-parent violence (CPV) is influenced by factors such as sex, age, dating violence, psychopathy traits, and antisocial and law-violating behaviors. This study explores how these variables relate to aggression towards parents, identifying key explanatory factors. Methods: This research engaged 136 Spanish adolescents aged 15–18 (mean age = 16.47; 51% female). Assessments included the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory (CADRI) for dating violence, the Psychopathy Content Scale (P-16) for psychopathy, the Antisocial and Criminal Behavior Scale in Adolescents (ECADA) for antisocial and law-violating behaviors, and the Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) for CPV. Analyses of associations included linear regression and qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). Results: Females exhibited higher levels of verbal violence, less delinquency, and more frequent CPV towards mothers. Psychopathy, antisocial and law-violating behaviors, and exposure to verbal violence were correlated with filial aggression. Violence towards mothers was associated with older age, female sex, verbal violence exposure, and psychopathy (47% variance explained), while violence towards fathers was linked to younger age and psychopathy (28% variance explained). QCA results indicated that specific combinations of having experienced violence and psychopathic traits contribute to CPV towards both parents. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of addressing psychological and sociodemographic risk factors for CPV. Prevention efforts should focus on reducing exposure to violence, identifying at-risk adolescents, and implementing targeted interventions to promote family well-being. Full article

An emerging corpus exists pertaining to societal judgements of image-based sexual harassment and abuse (IBSHA). This type of research centres on the non-consensual sharing of intimate images (NCSII; sometimes called ‘revenge pornography’), but recent legislative developments seeking to convict those who engage in the unsolicited sending of intimate images (USII; sometimes called ‘dick pics’) evoke a need to broaden this literature. Moreover, in the context of recent and highly publicised accounts featuring both celebrity perpetrators and victims of IBSHA, it is important to understand whether celebrity status impacts said judgements. We present three studies outlining judgement differences between vignettes featuring NCSII and USII as a function of perpetrator/victim celebrity status and as predicted by previously implicated personality traits and beliefs. In Studies 1 (N = 261) and 2 (N = 237), though vignettes involving NCSII were perceived more criminal in nature and anticipated to evoke more harm than USII, said victims also received more blame. Contrary to our hypotheses, there was no further impact of celebrity status on either the perpetrator (Study 2) or victim (Study 3; N = 207). Finally, although dark personality traits (associated with callousness and low empathy) predicted variation in judgements of IBSHA across all studies, in Study 2, psychopathic personality traits specifically predicted proclivity to engage in NCSII but not USII. The results are discussed in reference to the importance of IBSHA-related education on an international level and the pursuit of further legislation in this area. Full article

Both the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R) and the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV), respectively, are established instruments for assessment of psychopathy and development of psychopathic propensity. To reliably compare scores from both instruments, measurement invariance must be established. The current study involved a combined sample of 1091 male participants (adults = 813; adolescents = 278) from correctional facilities in New Mexico. An exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) framework was used to test for measurement invariance. The four-factor ESEM model demonstrated good fit for the combined and individual samples. Results from the multiple group ESEM provide evidence for generally strong invariance, with equivalent factor loadings and thresholds. Adolescents exhibited decreased latent interpersonal traits but increased latent features on other PCL factors (affective, lifestyle, and antisocial) compared to adults. Findings suggest that the four-factor model and the measurement of psychopathic traits remain consistent across age groups. Implications of the findings within research and clinical contexts are discussed. Full article

Most policies to combat gang criminal behavior are rooted in deterrence and punitive strategies. This is fueled by moral panic, a get tough on crime rhetoric, and a lack of understanding for the psychological factors that may influence this behavior. Further, the extant literature has consistently observed that gang membership is associated with increased criminal behavior. In an effort to promote and shift away from punitive approaches in response to gang delinquency, the current study investigates the role psychopathic traits have in violent and property offending, longitudinally, in a sample of gang-involved youth. The study implemented count mixed effect models to investigate the topic longitudinally in waves 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, while controlling for other variables with violent and property offending frequency. The current study found that some psychopathic traits are associated with offending behavior, longitudinally, in gang members and youth with a history of gang involvement. The findings suggest that gang intervention strategies should include empirically supported programs for treating psychopathic traits in gang identified youth to reduce involvement in delinquent behavior. Further, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers should collaborate to develop more empirically supported strategies to reduce and prevent gang delinquent behavior from an empathetic lens. Full article

The importance of assessing psychopathic traits in juveniles who have committed sexual offenses has been established in individuals who demonstrate a particularly severe and violent pattern of behavior. Additionally, the assessment of these traits in other juveniles might be relevant considering that higher levels of these traits represent an increased probability of the juvenile committing offenses. This study is a systematic review of the literature about the presence of callous-unemotional (CU) traits in juveniles who have committed sexual and non-sexual offenses, in order to ascertain eventual differences between these groups regarding the presence of CU traits. Studies were obtained from multiple databases, with predefined exclusion and inclusion criteria, according to PRISMA-P guidelines. A total of 18 studies were reviewed and included in the final analysis. The 18 studies used measures of CU traits and reported descriptive categories of CU traits in juveniles who have committed general offenses or juveniles who have committed sexual offenses. Meta-analytic procedures such as pooled means, pooled variances, and pooled standard deviations are presented in this study. The main conclusion obtained is that juveniles who have committed general offenses present higher levels of CU traits compared to juveniles who have committed sexual offenses. Although the review highlights limitations in the literature, the identification of these characteristics in different types of juveniles who have committed offenses is important to shed light on the phenomenon and develop interventions better suited to their characteristics. Recommendations for future research are also presented. Full article

Aim: Child-to-parent offenders (CPOs) are commonly specialist offenders and with high rates of recidivism. Thus, a field study was designed to estimate the prevalence of recidivism in the reference measures of recidivism i.e., dangerousness, risk factors and psychopathy, and compare CPOs with non-child-to-parent juvenile offenders (non-CPOs). Method: A total of 136 juvenile offenders (76.5% boys), 76 CPOs and 60 non-CPOs, aged from 14 to 18 years old, were measured in terms of dangerousness, risk factors and psychopathic traits. Results: For CPOs, the results show a more than common prevalence (>0.50), 75.0%, 95% CI [0.653, 0.847]) of dangerousness (caseness); a significant prevalence (>0.05) of diagnostic psychopathy (25.0%, 95% CI [0.150, 0.350]); and a common prevalence (=0.50), 55.3%, 95% CI [0.441, 0.665]) of classifications of high- and very high-risk factors. Comparatively, no significant differences were observed between CPOs and non-CPOs in terms of mental health problems (dangerousness); meanwhile CPOs exhibited significantly more interpersonal and affective psychopathic traits and significantly higher risks in family circumstances/parenting, and personality and behavior risk factors. Conclusions: The implications for prevention and intervention programs with CPOs are discussed. Full article

Background: The present research relied on the affective events theory to develop a framework explaining how daily micro-events trigger affective reactions that, in turn, influence quality-of-life indicators (i.e., psychological well-being and COVID-19 stress). We further delineated theoretical arguments for curiosity as a boundary condition that moderated this relation and proposed the dark triad (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) as a threatening factor. Methods: We conducted two studies to test the model. Study one analyzed the moderated mediation model regarding COVID-19 stress (n = 241), and study two (n = 653) analyzed the model regarding psychological well-being as the outcome. Results: Study one demonstrated that daily hassles increased COVID-19 stress via a negative effect, but this was not contingent on the levels of curiosity and the dark triad traits. However, the mediating path of positive affect between daily uplifts and COVID-19 stress was conditional upon the levels of curiosity and the dark triad traits (Machiavellianism and psychopathy), such that when individuals scored high on curiosity and dark traits, the indirect effect became stronger. The results showed that narcissism did not moderate the moderated mediation relationship. Study two showed that daily uplifts boosted psychological well-being through positive affect, and this relation was dependent on curiosity and on the three dark traits, such that it became weaker as curiosity decreased and the dark triad traits increased. We also found that daily hassles, by triggering negative affect, decreased psychological well-being, in particular for those who scored lower on curiosity and higher on psychopathy and narcissism (but not for Machiavellianism). Conclusions: Overall, COVID-19 stress seems to be more responsive to daily hassles than to daily uplifts. Nevertheless, when daily uplifts are factored in, they foster a sense of well-being that helps reduce COVID-19-related stress, especially in individuals who are naturally curious and exhibit high levels of Machiavellian and psychopathic traits. Conversely, psychological well-being appears to be more influenced by situational factors, as it is affected by both types of daily micro-events. We discuss the implications of both studies in light of the affective events theory. Full article

Childhood maltreatment is the strongest predictor of psychopathology and personality disorders across the lifespan and is strongly associated with a variety of psychological problems, namely, mood and anxiety disorders, behavioral and personality disorders, substance abuse, aggression, and self-harm. In this study, we aim to provide a comprehensive picture of the interplay between different traits of psychopathy and distinct dimensions of childhood maltreatment, emotion regulation, and aggression. Using a cross-sectional design, we employed correlational network analysis to explore the nomological network of psychopathy and provide a sample-based estimate of the population parameters reflecting the direction, strength, and patterns of relationships between variables. The sample consisted of 846 adults (71% females) who completed questionnaires measuring psychopathy, childhood maltreatment, emotion regulation, and aggression. The results highlight that disinhibition traits of psychopathy are the closest attributes of early experiences of abuse (but not neglect) in childhood and correlate with all dimensions of emotion regulation difficulties, being specifically associated with reactive aggression. Neglect was a unique attribute in the nomological network of meanness, with widespread correlations with emotion regulation difficulties but also an increased ability to engage in goal-directed behavior. Physical abuse was the only dimension of childhood adversity that was found to be intercorrelated with boldness and increased emotional regulation was found in this psychopathic trait. No significant associations were found between boldness, meanness, and aggression once shared variance with disinhibition was controlled. These results are discussed in terms of their implication for research and clinical practice. Full article

This study aims to investigate the relationship between risky sexual behavior (RSB) and psychopathy in a non-clinical sample of 714 Hong Kong adults, shedding light on sex differences. Our findings reveal that males exhibit significantly higher mean levels of RSB (general, penetrative, and nonpenetrative), as well as egocentric (Factor 1) and callous (Factor 3) traits of psychopathy, along with increased sexual desire compared to females. Regression analyses indicate that elevated levels of antisociality (Factor 2) and callousness (Factor 3) traits of psychopathy, along with sexual desire, emerge as significant risk factors for engaging in general, penetrative, and nonpenetrative RSB. Intriguingly, higher age and being in a long-term relationship are associated with RSB. The implications of this study suggest potential avenues for reducing, if not entirely preventing, the inclination to engage in RSB in the presence of psychopathic traits. Full article