Coparenting, Negative Educational Outcomes, and Familial Instability in Justice-involved Families

Incarceration of a parent is associated with negative consequences for children, such as behavioral problems, the development of antisocial personality traits, and decreased educational attainment. Data from the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting, and Partnering was used to analyze four measures of the coparenting relationship in families in which the father is incarcerated and the mother is not, to examine if a higher quality, more cohesive coparenting relationship is associated with fewer adverse childhood experiences for the parents’ shared child. Findings suggest that children of parents who frequently argue about the child are more likely to have ever been suspended or expelled from school and are more likely to have ever had to live outside of the home with a relative, family friend, or foster parents. Clinical implications are discussed, and future directions call for research, practice, and training to improve outcomes for incarcerated coparents and their children.

Suicide risk of male State patients with antisocial personality traits

Background: Suicide mortality rates are higher in people with personality disorders, especially those who have antisocial personality traits. These mortality rates are also higher in people who have committed offences. Antisocial personality traits are very common in populations who have committed offences and in forensic psychiatric patients.Aim: To determine if male State patients with antisocial personality traits had a higher risk of suicide compared with patients with no antisocial personality traits. We tried to identify other risk factors for attempted suicide in this population.Setting: Weskoppies Hospital’s Forensic Unit, Pretoria, South Africa.Methods: Of the 275 male State patients, 37 had antisocial personality traits and were included in the study. Of the remaining State patients, we randomly selected 37 control group participants, who had no antisocial personality traits. For each participant, we completed a data capturing sheet and a Beck’s Suicide Ideation Scale (BSIS). We compared suicide risk and associated factors between study and control group participants.Results: Study group and control group participants had the same current suicide risk. Overall, 63 participants (85.14%) had no current suicide risk. Of the 11 (14.86%) remaining participants with current suicide risk, 5 had antisocial personality traits. Eighteen had previous suicide attempts, 13 of whom had antisocial personality traits.Conclusion: State patients with and without antisocial personality traits had similar current suicide risk. Although antisocial personality disorder is an identified risk factor for suicide, it was not the case in this study. Assessment of other risk factors for suicide should be prioritised.

Antisocial personality traits transcend species

Antisocial personality is generally used to describe people who treat other people with callous disregard and disrespect. Although animal cruelty is diagnostic of conduct disorder, a precursor of antisocial personality in children, it is unclear whether the term antisocial also encompasses disregard and disrespect toward non-human animals among adults. In this study we examined associations between three anti-animal attitudes and behaviors – speciesism, hunting/fishing, and lack of sympathy for animal rights – and traits that underlie adult antisocial behavior. We found consistent links between antisocial personality traits and anti-animal attitudes and behaviors in two samples. These effects were generally specific to traits linked to antisociality (although we also found associations with low openness), and these traits were stronger as predictors of variation among meat eaters than as predictors of differences between vegetarians and meat eaters. These results suggest that the term antisocial applies to negative attitudes and behaviors towards both humans and non-human animals and imply the potential value of considering anti-animal attitudes and behaviors in the clinical assessment of antisocial personality.

Dimensions of Psychopathic Traits in a Community Sample

There are valid measures of psychopathic traits in youth, such as the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI). However, it is unclear how another self-report measure, which is based on a different conceptualization of psychopathy relates to the YPI in youth and to antisocial behavior. We therefore, compared the construct validity of two measures: the personality-based Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R) and the YPI – based on adult antisocial personality traits. First, both measures showed sufficient model fit and some overlap in their variance, particularly YPI impulsive-irresponsible and grandiose-manipulative factors with PPI-R self-centered impulsivity, as well as YPI callous-unemotional with PPI-R coldheartedness. We found that although overall delinquency was correlated with PPI-R and YPI subscales, only the self-centered impulsivity factor of the PPI-R and only the Impulsive-Irresponsibility domain of the YPI were statistically predictive of self-reported antisocial behavior. Thus, the PPI-R and the YPI both show moderate construct validity and criterion validity for use among young community adults.

Subclinical Sadism and the Dark Triad

The Dark Triad is a constellation of three antisocial personality traits: Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Recently, researchers have introduced a “Dark Tetrad” that includes subclinical sadism, although others suggest considerable overlap between psychopathy and sadism. To clarify the position of sadism within the Dark Triad, an online study was conducted with 615 university students. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that a six-factor solution fit the data best, representing Machiavellianism, psychopathy, physical sadism, verbal sadism, narcissism, and vicarious sadism. Furthermore, convergent validity was supported through sadism’s correlations with the HEXACO personality traits. The results support sadism’s inclusion within the Dark Tetrad as a unique construct but with some conceptual overlap with psychopathy.