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Psychopathy and lifetime criminal behaviour: sex differences and meditation paths
Thu, September 4, 5:30 to 6:45pm, Communications Building (CN), CN 2112Abstract
One of the newer operationalizations of psychopathy, Short Psychopathy Rating Scale (SPRS) consists of three traits: Deceitfulness (manipulativeness, dishonesty), Emotional Coldness (lack of empathy, fear, and guilt), and Recklessness (impulsiveness, risk-taking). In the present research, we analyzed the associations between psychopathy and indicators of criminal behavior: age of first offence (AFO), educational measures (EM), penal recidivism (PR), and the risk assessment of future recidivism (RA), in a sample of Serbian prisoners (N = 270). The psychopathy ratings of offenders were provided by the treatment service staff, while data on criminal behavior were obtained from the prisoners' files. In regression analyses, Emotional coldness turned out to be the most consistent positive predictor of various criminal behavior indicators (it predicts AFO, PR, and RA); conversely, Deceitfulness showed the lowest contribution to the explanation of criteria’s variation (predicts only RA). Recklessness also positively contributed to the predictions (EM, PR and RA). Mediation analysis showed that earlier AFO mediates the relationship between Emotional coldness and both criminal recidivism and the risk of future recidivism. Men had higher average scores on all indicators of criminal behavior, however women scored higher on Deceitfulness and Recklessness than men. Emotional Coldness represents a greater risk factor for offending in women regarding the earlier onset of criminal behavior and the future offenses’ risk. These findings are in line with previous studies that impulsivity and disinhibition are important predictors of criminal behavior. However, our results primarily highlight Emotional Coldness, a finding that is not frequently observed. The cause may lie in some aspect of the sample structures, but it also underscores the importance of this trait in the occurrence of criminal behaviours. This research confirms the importance of psychopathy in the criminological context and supports the use of the instrument as an assessment in penitentiary institutions.