Relationships between dimensional factors of psychopathy and schizotypy

Abstract

Existing research has suggested that comorbid psychopathy may explain one trajectory of violent behavior in a subset of individuals with schizophrenia. However, it remains unclear which specific traits and symptoms are responsible for this relationship and whether it is limited to clinical and/or forensic categories, or if it reflects a dimensional relationship found in the general population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine differential relationships between specific factors of psychopathy and schizotypy in a non-psychiatric and non-forensic sample. Two hundred and twelve undergraduate students (50% female) completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R). After controlling for age and sex, regressions showed that the total SPQ score was positively related to the total PPI-R score and the Self-Centered Impulsivity factor, and negatively related to the Fearless Dominance factor. Self-Centered Impulsivity was positively related to all three SPQ factor scores, with the strongest relationship found with the Cognitive-Perceptual factor. In contrast, Fearless Dominance was negatively related to only the Interpersonal and Disorganized factors of the SPQ, with the strongest relationship found with the Interpersonal factor. Findings suggest that the comorbidity of schizotypy and the self-centered impulsivity aspect of psychopathy is not limited to extreme discrete populations, but exists in a more dimensional manner within a non-psychiatric sample. In addition, it appears that schizotypy is negatively related to the fearless dominance aspect of psychopathy, which appears to be a novel finding. Results provide preliminary findings that may have implications for developing appropriate prediction, assessment, and treatment techniques for violent behavior in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

Can Psychopathic Traits be Adaptive?

“…Successful psychopathy hypothesis posits that the key markers of psychopathy (Factor 1 traits) can provide more adaptive responses if the behavioral markers of psychopathy are not highly expressed (Mullins-Sweatt et al, 2010). Indeed, our current data are in line with previous findings of negative relations between Factor 1 traits and psychopathology (Benning et al, 2005;Ragsdale & Bedwell, 2013). Thus, the present findings corroborate the concept of successful psychopathy, showing that affective and interpersonal psychopathic traits do not need to drive individuals into maladaptive psychological and behavioral outcomes.…”

“…It suggests that other findings regarding the negative relations between Interpersonal psychopathy features and psychopathology (e.g. Benning et al, 2005;Ragsdale & Bedwell, 2013) could be specific only for men, a hypothesis which demands further research.…”

“…Somatization is negatively associated with primary psychopathy and positively with secondary psychopathy (Wilson, Frick, & Clements, 1999), and Factor 1 traits are negatively related to internalizing psychological dysfunctions (Willemsen & Verhaeghe, 2012). Finally, empirical evidence suggest that manipulative traits and emotional shallowness have negative associations with schizotypal (pro-psychotic) experience, while impulsive and antisocial traits are positively related to schizotypy (Ragsdale & Bedwell, 2013).…”

Are all features of psychopathy associated with decreased health? Psychopathy, dysfunctional family characteristics, and health problems in convicts

“…Findings usually specify that the relations between psychopathy and psychological dysfunctions are limited to lifestyle and antisocial manifestations of psychopathy (Bonogofsky, 2007;Sprague, Javdani, Sadeh, Newman, & Verona, 2012;Swogger, Walsh, Houston, Cashman-Brown, & Conner, 2010). Interpersonal manipulation and affective callousness are often unrelated to psychopathology, or even show negative associations with psychological maladjustment (Benning, Patrick, Salekin, & Leistico, 2005;Ragsdale & Bedwell, 2013;.…”

Les limites de la Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) dans une population médico-légale souffrant de schizophrénie

“…L'applicabilité de ces items signifie-t-elle pour autant une propension psychopathique ? Conceptuellement et empiriquement, il semble qu'une minorité de sujets psychotiques ait des traits psychopathiques, mais cette tendance s'inverse dans des contextes médico-légaux [3,5,14,17,[21][22]. Puisque le manuel de la PCL-R [15] n'offre aucune recommandation en cas de comorbidité, deux alternatives s'offrent à l'administrateur afin de d'appliquer l'outil à des sujets présentant un diagnostic primaire de schizophrénie.…”