Epidemiology of antisocial personality disorder, psychopathy and other related constructs in Arab countries: A scoping review

Abstract

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of disregard for rules and norms, deceitfulness, impulsivity, and aggressiveness. ASPD is also associated with the dark triad, which includes psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism. Although there is considerable research surrounding individuals with antisocial personality disorder and its related constructs in the Western hemisphere, little is known about this disorder in the Arab world. The aim of this review is to identify the unique characteristics of antisocial individuals in the Arab region. We searched four databases (Medline, Psych Info, CINAHL, and Embase) in addition to searching the reference lists of relevant papers. Our search yielded 1381 records, 38 of which were eligible for full-text assessment, and 16 fulfilled our inclusion criteria. None of the studies examined the prevalence of antisocial personality disorder in the general population, as most of them were conducted on specific populations. Our review suggests that individuals from the Arab region present with a different profile than individuals sampled in Western studies. We also reveal that all studies conducted in this region were completed using instruments developed in the West, as opposed to emic-driven instruments developed in the Arab region. We discuss the implications of these studies and the need for further research.