Are Prisoners More Psychopathic than Non-forensic Populations? Profiling Psychopathic Traits among Prisoners, Community Adults, University Students, and Adolescents

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to compare prisoners (n = 772), community adults (n = 1201), university students (n = 2080), and adolescents (n = 472) on four sets of psychopathic traits (affective responsiveness, cognitive responsiveness, interpersonal manipulation, and egocentricity), using a psychopathy measure which does not index criminal/antisocial behavior – the Psychopathic Personality Traits Scale. Another aim was to examine patterns of co-occurrence between psychopathic personality traits among offending and non-offending populations. ANOVA results indicated significant differences between the four groups on all PPTS dimensions. Adolescents demonstrated greater deficits in affective and cognitive responsiveness than the remaining groups of participants. Prisoners had elevated deficits in cognitive responsiveness, compared with university students and community adults. University students scored higher on interpersonal manipulation than adolescents and prisoners, and higher on egocentricity than community adults and prisoners. Latent profile analysis revealed four distinct classes of psychopathic traits among all samples, although not all classes were qualitatively equivalent across samples. Low psychopathy groups were identified for all samples. There were clear high psychopathy groups for prisoners and university students, with approximately 7% of prisoners and students belonging in the groups. This finding indicates that past research could have over-estimated the prevalence of psychopathy in forensic populations due to inclusion of criminal behavior items in psychopathy assessment.

Conflict of Interest

Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Daniel Boduszek

Daniel Boduszek, PhD is a professor of criminal psychology at the University of Huddersfield and Director of Quantitative Research Methods Training Unit. His current research interests and publications include the aspects of criminal social identity, homicidal behavior, psychopathy, prisonization, and recidivism.

Agata Debowska

Agata Debowska, PhD is a lecturer in psychology at the University of Sheffield. Her current research interests and publications include violence against women and children, child sexual abuse, psychopathy, and criminal social identity.

Nicole Sherretts

Nicole Sherretts, PhD is a data analyst in Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City. Her research interest an publications include criminal social identity, recidivism, and psychopathy.

Dominic Willmott

Dominic Willmott, PhD is a research fellow at the University of Huddersfield (None in Three Research Center). His current research interests and publications include gender biased violence and jury decision making.

Mike Boulton

Mike Boulton, PhD is an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Chester. His current research interests and publications include children’s social relationships and their links with adjustment.

Krzysztof Kielkiewicz

Krzysztof Kielkiewicz, PhD is a lecturer in psychology at the University of Finance and Management. His current research interests and publications include psychopathy and spirituality.

Katarzyna Popiolek

Katarzyna Popiolek, PhD is an associate professor and dean of psychology school at the SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities. Her current research interests and publications include interpersonal relationships.

Philip Hyland

Philip Hyland, PhD is a senior lecturer in psychology at the Maynooth University. His current research interests and publications include the impact of traumatic life events on people’s lives.