Henrik Andershed

Two subtypes of psychopathic violent offenders that parallel primary and secondary variants.

Although psychopathy usually is treated as a unitary construct, a seminal theory posits that there are 2 variants: Primary psychopathy is underpinned by an inherited affective deficit, whereas secondary psychopathy reflects an acquired affective disturbance. The authors investigated whether psychopathy phenotypically may be disaggregated into such types in a sample of 367 prison inmates convicted of violent crimes. Model-based cluster analysis of the Revised Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R; R. D. Hare, 2003) and trait anxiety scores in the psychopathic subgroup (n = 123; PCL-R > or = 29) revealed 2 clusters. Relative to primary psychopaths, secondary psychopaths had greater trait anxiety, fewer psychopathic traits, and comparable levels of antisocial behavior. Across validation variables, secondary psychopaths manifested more borderline personality features, poorer interpersonal functioning (e.g., irritability, withdrawal, poor assertiveness), and more symptoms of major mental disorder than primary psychopaths. When compared with the nonpsychopathic subgroup (n = 243), the 2 psychopathic variants manifested a theoretically coherent pattern of differences. Implications for etiological research and violence prevention are discussed.

Convergent validity of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI): association with the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV).

This study investigates the relationship between the self-report Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI) and the clinician-rated Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV). A representative sample of 92 girls and 70 boys, 12 to 20 years of age (mean age, 17 years), who received services at a clinic for adolescents with substance misuse problems, was studied. Moderate correlations (r =.30—.51) were found between conceptually corresponding YPI and PCL:YV factor scores among both boys and girls, whereas correlations between individual subscales of the YPI and items of the PCL:YV were not as consistent. A cross-tabulation of groupings based on the three-factor models of the two instruments largely supported the categorical convergent validity of the YPI, particularly for low and high scorers. Although more studies with larger samples are needed, results indicate that the YPI is a cost-effective measure of psychopathic traits in adolescents in research settings.

The usefulness of self-reported psychopathy-like traits in the study of antisocial behaviour among non-referred adolescents

The present study addresses the question of whether it is possible to use a self‐report measure of psychopathic traits on non‐referred youth samples to identify a subgroup of problematic youths who are particularly problematic and different from other problem youths. A large sample of eighth‐grade, non‐referred adolescents, and their parents were assessed. Results showed that the adolescents exhibiting a low‐socialized psychopathy‐like personality constellation had a more frequent, violent, and versatile conduct‐problem profile than other low‐socialized and well socialized adolescents. The psychopathy‐like adolescents also differed from other poorly socialized adolescents in ways that suggested that their etiological background was different from adolescents with non‐psychopathy‐like conduct problems. We conclude that self‐report measures can indeed be useful for research purposes in subtyping youths with conduct problems. Copyright

Genetic effects explain the stability of psychopathic personality from mid- to late adolescence.

This study examined the importance of genetic and environmental influence for the stability of psychopathic personality between mid- and late adolescence. The target sample consisted of all 1,480 male and female twin pairs born in Sweden between 1985 and 1986. Psychopathic personality was measured with the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI; H. Andershed, M. Kerr, M. Stattin, & S. Levander, 2002) when the participants were 16 and 19 years old. Results showed that the 3 psychopathic personality dimensions were stable at different levels of analysis and linked to a stable higher order general factor (i.e., psychopathic personality factor). Genetic factors contributed substantially to the stability of this general higher order factor, whereas environmental factors were of little importance. However, the authors also found specific genetic stability in the Callous/unemotional and Impulsive/irresponsible dimension. Thus, the model provides evidence for etiologic generality and etiologic specificity for the stability of psychopathic personality between mid- and late adolescence.

A common genetic factor explains the association between psychopathic personality and antisocial behavior

BACKGROUND Both psychopathic personality traits and antisocial behavior are influenced by genetic as well as environmental factors. However, little is known about how genetic and environmental factors contribute to the associations between the psychopathic personality traits and antisocial behavior. METHOD Data were drawn from a longitudinal population-based twin sample including all 1480 twin pairs born in Sweden between May 1985 and December 1986. The twins responded to mailed self-report questionnaires at two occasions: 1999 (twins 13-14 years old), and 2002 (twins 16-17 years old). RESULTS A common genetic factor loaded substantially on both psychopathic personality traits and antisocial behavior, whereas a common shared environmental factor loaded exclusively on antisocial behavior. CONCLUSIONS The genetic overlap between psychopathic personality traits and antisocial behavior may reflect a genetic vulnerability to externalizing psychopathology. The finding of shared environmental influences only in antisocial behavior suggests an etiological distinction between psychopathic personality dimensions and antisocial behavior. Knowledge about temperamental correlates to antisocial behavior is important for identification of susceptibility genes, as well as for possible prevention through identification of at-risk children early in life.

Callous-unemotional traits are associated with clinical severity in referred boys with conduct problems.

Clinical practice with the heterogeneous group of children that present with conduct problems may benefit from improved formats for diagnostic subtyping. We investigated whether high levels of callous–unemotional traits (i.e. lack of empathy, remorselessness and shallow affects) would differentiate clinic-referred conduct-problem boys from those low on such traits. A consecutive series of 41 boys with conduct problems (6–13 years, mean age = 9.60 years) referred to public child psychiatric units in Sweden were studied with data elicited from caregivers. Conduct-problem boys with many callous–unemotional traits had significantly more pervasive, varied and aggressive disruptive behavioural problems than boys low on these traits had. Higher levels of conduct problems in subjects with callous–unemotional traits were not explained by confounding presence of DSM-IV attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder symptoms. Boys with callous–unemotional traits also experienced poorer household circumstances and lived in families under high stress. Interestingly, they less often received help in school from special teachers but were more often diagnosed with dysthymia than boys low on callous–unemotional traits. We conclude that callous–unemotional traits might designate a subgroup of boys with different aetiology to their conduct problems and possibly with specific treatment needs. However, the findings need to be replicated with larger samples.

Measuring psychopathic traits in children through self-report: The development of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory - Child version

The current article investigates whether self-reports of children provide reliable and valid information concerning psychopathic personality traits and behaviours. For this purpose, we developed a downward extension of an existing adolescent self-report measure; the Youth Psychopathic traits Inventory [YPI; Andershed, H., Kerr, M., Stattin, H., & Levander, S. (2002). Psychopathic traits in non-referred youths: Initial test of a new assessment tool. In E.S. Blaauw, L. (Ed.), Psychopaths: Current international perspectives (pp. 131-158): The Hague: Elsevier], called the Youth Psychopathic traits Inventory-Child Version (YPI-CV). The reliability and validity of the YPI-CV were tested in n=360 children from the general population. The YPI-CV had good internal consistency and a three factor structure similar to the original adolescent version. Test-retest reliability over a 6-month period was adequate. In validating the instrument, both self, teacher and peer report were used. The convergent and divergent validity of the three YPI-CV dimensions was examined by relating each of them to an external criterion measures assessing the same construct. It was concluded that psychopathic traits can be measured reliably and meaningfully through self-report in 9 to 12 year olds and that the YPI-CV is potentially a useful instrument for doing so.

Psychopathic-Like Traits Among Detained Female Adolescents: Reliability and Validity of the Antisocial Process Screening Device and the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory

This study examined the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Antisocial Process Screening Device–Self-Report (APSD-SR), the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI), and the YPI–Short Version (YPI-SV) in detained female adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. The proposed three-factor structure of the YPI and YPI-SV was replicated, whereas the proposed three-factor structure of the APSD-SR or alternate models did not yield adequate fit. Overall, reliability indices for the YPI and YPI-SV were higher than those reported for the APSD-SR. APSD-SR and YPI scales were positively related with each other, except the affective dimensions of the instruments. All questionnaires showed good criterion validity but the YPI’s factor structure and reliability was superior to the APSD-SR. This superiority is not because of the larger number of items in the YPI, because we also demonstrated that the factor structure and reliability of the YPI-SV was better than that of the APSD-SR.

Bullying in School and Violence on the Streets: Are the Same People Involved?

Two ideas concerning the link between bullying in school and violence on the streets are investigated. (1) Bullying and victimization in school is a product of the school situation and peoples inability to choose their levels of exposure to others. According to this hypothesis, bullying is largely a phenomenon that is isolated to the school context. (II) Bullying behaviour in school and inflicting damage to others outside school is a reflection of a more general aggressive behaviour pattern and, hence, bullying in school and violence on the streets will, to a great extent, involve the same individuals. The literature offers suggestions that either could be the case. Participants were 2915 14-year-olds in a medium-sized county in Sweden who responded to a self-report questionnaire.Theresults showed that bullying others in school was strongly linked to violent behaviour and weapon-carrying on the streets, both among boys and girls. It was also found that bullying others in school was related to being violently victimized on the streets. The findings remained the same when statistically controlling for loitering and nights spent away from home, which were both related to bullying behaviour. It is concluded that bullying behaviour in school is in many cases a part of a more general violent and aggressive behaviour pattern and that preventive efforts targeting individuals with bullying behaviour in school could, according to the present study, decrease violence among adolescents out in the community as well.

A longitudinal twin study of the direction of effects between psychopathic personality and antisocial behaviour

BACKGROUND Antisocial behaviour may partly develop as a consequence of psychopathic personality. However, neither the direction of effects nor the aetiology of the association has previously been clarified. The aim in this study was to investigate the direction of effects between psychopathic personality and antisocial behaviour, and to investigate the genetic and environmental contribution to this association. METHOD Twins (n = 2,255) in the Swedish Twin Study of Child and Adolescent Development were prospectively followed from adolescence to adulthood. We used a longitudinal cross-lagged twin model to study the associations between psychopathic personality and antisocial behaviour. RESULTS Psychopathic personality in mid-adolescence predicted antisocial behaviour in adulthood (p < .001), but not the other way around. However, bidirectional effects were found when a measure of persistent antisocial behaviour (from age 8-9 to age 16-17) was used. Psychopathic personality predicted both rule-breaking behaviour (p < .001) and aggressive behaviour (p < .01). Genetic factors were of importance in mediating the longitudinal associations between psychopathic personality and antisocial behaviour. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence that genetically influenced psychopathic personality is a robust predictor of adult antisocial behaviour, but also that persistent antisocial behaviour has an impact on adult psychopathic personality via genetic effects.