Psychopathic traits in a representative sample of Finnish male prisoners

Jüriloo, Alo; Lauerma, Hannu; Holmalahti, Tuomo; Tyni, Sasu; Aarnio, Jorma; Viitanen, Päivi; Wuolijoki, Terhi; Mattila, Aino K.; Lintonen, Tomi; Joukamaa, Matti; Vartiainen, Henriikka

doi:10.3109/08039488.2013.780259

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The authors found that the level of psychopathic traits did not significantly differ between the patients with arsons and those with other criminal acts. In our sample, the level of psychopathic traits seemed to be slightly lower than reported previously among Finnish prisoners (mean 19.5, SD 8.05) [ 48 ].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 76%

“…However, only 1.6% of the firesetters scored 30 points or more, which is the original cut-off score of psychopathy by Hare [ 31 ]. The proportion of these highly psychopathic persons seems to be smaller in the present sample than in a Finnish prison population in general (12.3%) [ 48 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among the firesetters in the study by Labree et al [ 18 ], the mean factor scores were 7.8 and 8.4, respectively, and no statistical difference was observed between the arsonists and non-arsonists. In a Finnish prison study [ 48 ], the corresponding mean factor scores were 7.1 (SD 3.70) and 9.7 (SD 4.8). This implies that as a group pretrial firesetters exhibit less affective and interpersonal features of psychopathy, but nearly equal amounts of antisocial behavior as a prison population in general.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychopathic traits among a consecutive sample of Finnish pretrial fire-setting offenders

et al. 2015

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BackgroundPsychopathy, a severe disorder of personality, is well represented in the criminal and forensic psychiatric population and is significantly associated with increased risk of violence and crime. Fire-setting is a major source of property damage, injury, and death in many Western countries. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate psychopathic traits in a consecutive sample of Finnish male pretrial fire-setting offenders. Further, we wanted to investigate whether fire-setting recidivists show higher traits of psychopathy than one-time firesetters and whether exclusive firesetters show lower traits of psychopathy than those with criminal versatility.MethodsThe forensic psychiatric examination statements for male firesetters who underwent a pretrial forensic psychiatric evaluation during a 10-year period (1989 –1998) were reviewed. The sample comprised 129 firesetters with normal IQ, 41 of whom were fire-setting recidivists. Fifty men were exclusive firesetters. Assessment of psychopathy-like personality character was performed using the 20-item Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised.ResultsTwo individuals (1.6%, 95% Cl: 0.0-3.7) scored ≥30 points and 19 (14.7%, 95% Cl: 8.6-20.8) ≥ 25 points on the PCL-R. The mean PCL-R total score was 16.1 (SD 6.88), the mean Factor 1 score 5.0 (SD 3.41), and the mean Factor 2 score 9.9 (SD 3.86). No significant differences emerged between the recidivists and the one-time firesetters. The versatile firesetters exhibited significantly higher mean total and factor scores than the exclusive ones.ConclusionAmong firesetters, there is a subgroup of persons with significant psychopathic traits, which should be recognized in legal and health care organizations. Although psychopathy was associated with greater criminal versatility, it bore no relationship to fire-setting recidivism.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychopathic traits among a consecutive sample of Finnish pretrial fire-setting offenders

et al. 2015

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“…This scale has dimensional characteristics consisting of two intercorrelated factors. The first factor assesses affective insensitivity while the second emphasizes antisocial behavior (Hare, 2003;Lindberg et al, 2009;Laajasalo et al, 2013;Jüriloo et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality traits and violent behavior: A comparison between psychopathic and non-psychopathic male murderers

Serafim

Barros

Castellana

et al. 2014

Psychiatry Research

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“…Childhood psychosocial adversities and maladjustment have previously been linked to a number of negative outcomes over the life time, including antisocial behaviors (12,13). Among children with ASD, Howlin and Clements (14) found abuse to be associated with more behavioral difficulties, including aggression, compared to typically developed children. Similarly, Allely et al (15) have described the presence of a broad range of adverse contextual factors among individuals with ASD who commit serious violent crimes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Few Differences in the Externalizing and Criminal History of Young Violent Offenders With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorders

et al. 2019

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Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are known to be associated with an increased risk of aggression and challenging behavior. In this study, we have mapped the externalizing history of a nationally representative cohort of young violent offenders with ASD, compared with offenders without ASD. Two hundred and sixty-nine violent offenders were assessed for prevalence of ASD, and participated in a thorough assessment of previous externalizing problems and criminal history. Twenty-six offenders met consensus clinical DSM-IV criteria for ASD and they were compared to offenders without ASD from the same cohort. Overall, we found a very high prevalence of externalizing and antisocial behaviors in the history of these offenders and there were few differences between the groups. Placements in foster homes were overrepresented in the ASD group and the ASD-offenders had significantly more often been diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder (i.e. ASD or ADHD) by a clinician before the study. At index conviction, ASD offenders were overrepresented in sex crimes with a child victim. Though offenders without ASD had more previous convictions, in particular drug crimes, we found no difference in terms of total number of prosecuted crimes. Substance use disorders were more common among offenders without ASD. The ASD offenders scored higher compared to the non-ASD offenders on the Affective facet of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) but there were no differences in terms of total PCL-R scores. Our results provide important knowledge of the developmental history of offenders with ASD. Though this is a small and atypical phenotype it poses significant challenges to the criminal justice system and we need to understand more of it to be able to prevent these individuals from committing crimes but also to provide a fair judicial treatment, to assess exculpatory factors and improve our forensic treatment models.

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Psychopathic traits in a representative sample of Finnish male prisoners

Abstract: The PCL-R is a reliable and valid measure of the psychopathy construct of the Finnish male prisoners. The PCL-R is applicable to the Finnish offenders and it is a useful tool for assessing psychopathy in the Finnish criminal justice settings.

Cited by 11 publications

References 27 publications

Psychopathic traits among a consecutive sample of Finnish pretrial fire-setting offenders

Psychopathic traits among a consecutive sample of Finnish pretrial fire-setting offenders

Personality traits and violent behavior: A comparison between psychopathic and non-psychopathic male murderers

Few Differences in the Externalizing and Criminal History of Young Violent Offenders With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorders

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