Psychopathy and violent video game playing: Multiple associations in a juvenile justice system involved sample

Abstract

Violent video game playing is a consistent risk factor for aggression, but research on its psychopathology and trait underpinnings are primarily based on community or university student samples, thus the ecological validity to adjudicated and juvenile justice system‐involved youth lacks clarity. This is an important void in the literature because relative to youth in the general population, adjudicated and detained youth evince greater psychopathology, more severe delinquency and violence histories, and clinical psychopathic features. Negative binomial regression models using data from 252 youth in residential placements found that several psychopathic features are significantly associated with violent video gaming. The role of psychopathy operated differently across gender and arrest chronicity, and across models remorselessness emerged as an important correlate. Given the desensitization that can occur with violent video game play, it is of particular concern among delinquent youth with psychopathic personality features.

No mercy for victims: Exploring the link between dark personality traits, aggressive video game behavior, and severe traffic violations

“…It is worth noting that in a robust multiple-regression analysis that included all four malevolent traits, psychopathy was found to be the only significant predictor of shooting bias in violent video games. This result is consistent with prior research that has demonstrated the strong relationship between psychopathy and aggressive behavior in general (Paulhus et al, 2021), as well as research indicating that shooting bias in violent video games reflects impulsive and hostile reactions (Arnoult et al, 2023), and that psychopathy is significantly associated with violent video gaming (Jahic et al, 2021). Additionally, the fact that aggressive behavior in violent video games was linked to both psychopathy and serious traffic offenses in this study aligns with a wealth of research documenting a connection between violent video game play and aggression (Anderson et al, 2010).…”

The Moderating Effects of Violent Gaming Upon Psychopathic Personality and Bullying Behavior in Problematic Smartphone Users

“…With easy access to the internet and wide range of game genres available at their fingertips, many young smartphone users are getting drawn into violent gaming (Işıkoğlu, Erol, Atan & Aytekin, 2021). Additionally, the violent games can contribute to aggression and desensitization to violence (Brockmyer, 2022), especially in individuals with psychopathic personality traits (Jahic, DeLisi & Vaughn, 2021). Research suggests that psychopathy may be linked to greater likelihood of engaging in violent gaming (Visser, Batinic, Worth, Book & Toll, 2020;Nagata, Chu, Ganson, Iyer, Gabriel, Garber, Domingo & Baker, 2022).…”