Examining the Association between Stuttering and Psychopathic Personality Traits, Nonviolent Crime, and Violent Crime

ABSTRACT

A body of research has examined the consequences associated with stuttering and stammering and the results of these studies have identified a host of maladaptive outcomes that are relatively common for stutters. To date, however, there has not been research examining the potential association between stuttering and antisocial phenotypes. The current study addressed this gap in the literature by examining the connection between stuttering and psychopathic personality traits, involvement in acts of nonviolent crime, and involvement in acts of violent crime. Analyses of data drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) revealed consistent, albeit relatively small, significant associations between stuttering and the measures of antisocial phenotypes. These significant associations were detected for both males and females. The limitations of the study are discussed and future directions for research are offered.

KEYWORDS:

• Add Health
• crime
• psychopathy
• stuttering
• violence

Acknowledgments

This research uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations. Special acknowledgment is due Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website (http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth). No direct support was received from grant P01-HD31921 for this analysis.