Psychopathy in Adolescence Predicts Official Reports of Offending in Adulthood

Abstract

The present study examines the incremental predictive utility of psychopathy assessed at age 13 using the Childhood Psychopathy Scale (CPS) in predicting official records of arrests and convictions between the ages of 18 and 26. Data from 338 men from the middle sample of the Pittsburg Youth Study were used. A variety of control variables were included: demographics (race, family structure, SES, and neighborhood SES), parenting (physical punishment, inconsistent discipline, lax supervision, and low positive parenting), peer delinquency, and individual difference variables (impulsivity, Verbal IQ, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and Conduct Disorder). CPS scores at age 13 predicted the variety of arrests and convictions 5 to 13 years later, even after controlling for other well-established and well-measured risk factors. It is concluded that juvenile psychopathy is an important and useful risk factor for future antisocial behavior. Implications of these findings and reasons for resistance to the juvenile psychopathy construct are discussed.

Criminal attitudes and psychopathic personality attributes of youth gang offenders in Singapore

“…With regard to psychopathic personality traits, recent research has demonstrated that youth psychopathy is an important risk factor for future antisocial and violent offending behaviors (Gretton, Hare, & Catchpole, 2004;Lynam, Miller, Vachon, Loeber, & Stouthamer-Loeber, 2009;Salekin, 2008). Other researchers have found that callous and unemotional traits predicted aggression and conduct problems in adolescents (Frick, Cornell, Berry, Bodin, & Dane, 2003).…”

Violence Exposure Mediates the Relation Between Callous-Unemotional Traits and Offending Patterns in Adolescents

“…Several studies find that CU traits are moderately stable from late childhood to early adolescence (Frick, Kimonis, Dandreaux, & Farrell, 2003;Munoz & Frick, 2007), and from adolescence to adulthood (Lynam, Caspi, Moffitt, Loeber, & Stouthamer-Loeber, 2007;Lynam, Miller, Vachon, Loeber, & Stouthamer-Loeber, 2009). Compared with youth low on CU traits, antisocial youth high on CU traits present with a particularly severe and stable pattern of conduct problems and delinquent behavior (Frick, Cornell, Barry, Bodin & Dane, 2003;Frick, Stickle, Dandreaux, Farrell, & Kimonis, 2005;Loney, Taylor, Butler, & Iacono, 2007), tend to show greater substance-related delinquency (Taylor & Lang, 2006), and show higher rates of aggression, and violent and sexual offending (Caputo, Frick, & Brodsky, 1999;Frick & White, 2008).…”

Aggressive and Delinquent Behavior among High Risk Youth in Malaysia

“…Amongst the risk factors for youth or juvenile delinquency the most commonly reported are demographic characteristics (e.g. age, gender, race); as well as aggression; deviant peer association, antisocial attitudes and behaviour; low intelligence (Bartol & Bartol, 2009;Farrington, 2002;Lynam, Miller, Vachon, Loeber, & Stouthamer-Loeber, 2009). Also some individual characteristics commonly associated with youth delinquency are impulsiveness, aggression, lack of empathy, lack of emotional control and cruel behaviour are risk factors associated with youth delinquency (Farrington, Loeber, Jolliffe, & Pardini, 2008;Piquero, Farrington, & Blumstein, 2007;Loeber, Green, & Lahey, 2003).…”