Psychopathy and Female Gender: Phenotypic Expression and Comorbidity; A Study Comparing a Sample of Women Hospitalized in Italy's Maximum Security Facility with Women Who were Criminally Sentenced and Imprisoned,

Carabellese, Felice; Felthous, Alan R.; Tegola, Donatella La; Rossetto, Ilaria; Montalbò, Domenico; Franconi, Filippo; Catanesi, Roberto

doi:10.1111/1556-4029.14039

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…A larger percentage of women had been charged with misdemeanors, but for those charged with a felony the offense was homicide or attempted homicide. As was observed in our prior studies ( Carabellese et al, 2019a ), female insanity acquittees were underrepresented among those whose crimes that involved strangers. During the study period, a higher percentage of female insanity acquittees was discharged ( Rogers et al, 1986 ).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 69%

“…Despite the fact that women occupied 10–12% of the regional secure beds, there remains a shortage of clinical and legal data on females in REMS. At the same time, it is important to underscore how women confined in the OPG and currently in the REMS are always very few compared to men and the specific aspects related to gender only in recent years have been investigated by our group ( Carabellese et al, 2018 , 2019a , b , 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Differences Between Readmitted and Non-readmitted Women in an Italian Forensic Unit: A Retrospective Study

Rossetto¹,

Clerici

Franconi³

et al. 2021

Front. Psychol.

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The main objective of this study was to compare readmitted (RW) and non-readmitted (NRW) female psychiatric patients after being conditionally or unconditionally released from Italian inpatient forensic psychiatry services, in order to identify variables that were significantly linked with readmission. This study included all patients who were discharged from the female Residences for the Execution of the Security Measure (REMS) of Castiglione delle Stiviere from January 2008 to June 2015 who were not readmitted until December 31, 2018 (48). In addition, data were collected on female patients who were discharged from the same REMS before 2008 and readmitted from January 2008 to December 2018 (42). A key finding of our study was that the readmission into a female REMS was positively associated with the presence of substance use disorders (SUD) and a primary diagnosis on Axis II. To a lesser extent, younger age, being unconditionally discharged when first released, having had a shorter length of inpatient stay and having committed a crime against property for the first REMS admission was also variables that were apparently linked with readmission. The present research continues the previous research on gender-specific mentally ill offenders. Hence, the decision to proceed separately with a sample of men only and one of women only. For all these reasons, young female patients with personality disorder and SUD perhaps should remain longer in REMS and be released with conditions. In most European countries, the length of stay depends on the clinical condition and risk assessment, with some exceptions where the courts set a maximum length of stay at the outset, as in Italy. All the factors listed above influence the risk assessment. Finally, from integrating these findings into the increasing international literature on conditional release and considering the recent changes in the Italian forensic treatment model, we recommend continuing research on individual risk and protective factors as well as risk assessment instruments on conditionally and unconditionally released inpatients with genders studied separately.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences Between Readmitted and Non-readmitted Women in an Italian Forensic Unit: A Retrospective Study

Rossetto¹,

Clerici

Franconi³

et al. 2021

Front. Psychol.

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“…This is a follow‐up study of our previous research on the same topic (18,40,44,45), which was initially conducted in what was then the only forensic psychiatric hospital for women in Italy (Castiglione delle Stiviere). The present study involved males and females who had killed or attempted to kill while suffering from a mental disorder, were judged not responsible or with substantially diminished criminal responsibility, and then were admitted to one of the three REMS (63) of Puglia and Basilicata as a security measure to reduce the risk of criminal recidivism.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Women who kill are more often diagnosed with a severe mental disorder (18,34‐37) or a personality disorder, especially borderline (38‐40), in comparison with men who commit homicide (41,42). According to some studies (5,43), homicidal women are up to 43 times more likely to have a diagnosis of schizophrenia than the general population, although there is evidence that the diagnosis of schizophrenia may also be overestimated in homicidal women, and conversely, the psychopathic dimension may be underestimated (40,44,45). In our previous research, a significant correlation was found between the psychopathic dimension and borderline personality disorder in women who committed homicide (40).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Women and Men who Committed Murder: Male/Female Psychopathic Homicides

Carabellese

Felthous

Mandarelli

et al. 2020

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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The present study was designed to compare gender differences in psychiatric diagnosis with the dimension of psychopathy in women and men who had attempted or committed homicide. The study samples consisted of 39 homicidal females and 48 homicidal males who were confined in one of Italy’s REMS or prison facilities in two southern provinces of Italy (Puglia and Basilicata). Assessment instruments included the SCID‐5, the PID‐5 IRF, and the PCL‐R. Each gender group was stratified according to the level of criminal responsibility for the homicidal offense (full, partial, absent), and after assessments, according to the degree of the psychopathic dimension. There were clear gender differences in homicidal individuals. Female offenders were less likely to have had a record of criminal charges/convictions or imprisonment, and their homicides were more often intrafamilial, victimizing especially of their children, whereas males targeted intimate partners and extrafamilial victims. In the entire group, there was an inverse relationship between the level of psychopathy and the personality disorder on one side, and the psychotic disturbance on the other. Factor 2 (lifestyle/antisocial dimension) of the PCL‐R was higher among the homicidal males, whereas females tended to score higher on Factor 1 (the interpersonal/affective dimension). Finally, if the psychopathic dimension is a qualifier for antisocial personality disorder, as indicated in DSM‐5, this appears to be less true for females who tend to have other personality disorders.

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“…These personality traits and the use of manipulation/coercion are also related to psychopathic behaviors, a socially exploitative phenotype that utilizes a mixed strategy involving both cheating, intimidation, and violence to increase access mating and resources (Book and Quinsey 2004). A key sex difference in psychopathic behaviors and the use of threat or force in order to establish dominance is that females tend to rely more on verbal aggression, manipulation, and coercion, whereas males more regularly threaten and/or instigate violence (Carabellese et al 2019).…”

Section: Dominance and Forcementioning

confidence: 99%