Exploring the relationship between psychopathy and close relationships in a sample of young Portuguese adults

Abstract

The literature reveals that psychopathy is strongly associated with attachment avoidance, based on the denial of the importance of close relationships and the absence of anxiety related to rejection. These dimensions can be evaluated in the scope of parental relationships, and given the scarcity of literature that deals with the relationship between these and psychopathy, the present study arises, which aims to: analyze the associations between the dimensions of psychopathy and experiences in close relationships; to verify the existence of differences in the dimensions of experiences in close relationships according to gender and to test the mediating effect of psychopathy on the association between gender and experiences in close relationships. The sample consisted of 319 young adults aged between 18 and 30 years (M = 23.19; SD = 2.40). A sociodemographic questionnaire, the Self-Report Psycopathy Scale-III (SRP-III) and The Experiences in Close Relationships–Relationship Structures Questionnaire (ECR-RS) were used as instruments. The main results suggest that psychopathy is positively associated with avoidance and negatively with attachment anxiety and that it demonstrates a total mediation and an absence of mediation in the relationship between gender and the dimensions of attachment experienced in close relationships. That said, the importance of promoting programs that alert to the importance of positive interaction in parent–child relationships is verified and the innovative character of the present study is highlighted.