Interrelationships among early childhood victimization, psychopathy, and violence were examined in a sample of 652 previously abused and neglected individuals and a matched control group of 489 individuals.
The sample of abused and neglected individuals was composed of substantiated cases of childhood physical and sexual abuse and/or neglect processed during the 1967-1971 period in a metropolitan area of the midwestern United States. Measures of psychopathy assessed using Hare's Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R) and violence based on official arrest and self-report information were included in a series of multivariate analyses. Individuals were traced approximately 20 years after their childhood victimization, and personal interviews were conducted between 1989 and 1994. It was found that victims of childhood abuse and neglect had significantly higher PCL-R scores than persons in the matched control group, despite controls for demographic characteristics and criminal histories. PCL-R scores predicted official and self-reported violence. Childhood victimization was a significant predictor of violence. When PCL-R scores were introduced, however, childhood victimization was no longer significant. Findings demonstrated a clear connection between early childhood victimization and psychopathy and suggested that the relationship between childhood victimization and violence in some individuals may be mediated through psychopathy. Several potential mechanisms are suggested to explain these linkages. 72 references and 4 tables
Downloads
Related Datasets
Similar Publications
- Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Police Fatigue Risk-Management Strategy for the Seattle Police Department
- Understanding School Climate for American Indian Youth: A CBPR Case Study Approach
- Audit of the Office of Justice Programs Victim Assistance Funds Subawarded by the Iowa Department of Justice to Crisis Intervention Services, Oskaloosa, Iowa