Abstract
Previous research has suggested that personality and cognitive functions are essential in the emergence of persistent aggressive antisocial behaviors and that character maturity could be an important protective factor against these behaviors. The aims of this study were (1) to determine associations between personality traits, intellectual ability, and executive function in young male violent offenders, and (2) to investigate differences in intellectual ability and executive function between groups of violent offenders with low, medium, and high character maturity. A cohort of 148 male violent offenders (18–25 years of age) participated in this study. The Temperament and Character Inventory was used as a self-report measure of personality traits, and cognitive functions were measured with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Third Edition and the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Intellectual ability was negatively correlated to the temperament dimension Harm Avoidance and the character dimension Self-Transcendence, and positively correlated to the character dimensions Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness and the temperament dimension Novelty Seeking. Visual sustained attention correlated positively to the temperament dimension Persistence and negatively to the temperament dimension Harm Avoidance. Spatial working memory correlated negatively to the character dimension Cooperativeness. Character maturity, however, did not affect intellectual and executive functions to a statistically significant degree. Our findings indicate that offender personality characteristics such as optimism, responsibility, empathy, curiosity, and industry that would seem more favorable to positive intervention outcomes are related to better cognitive functioning. Possible implications are that interventions in offender populations could be more effective if tailored to participants’ personality dimensions and cognitive proficiencies, rather than offered as “one size fits all.”
Highlights
Interpersonal violence is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, especially for individuals aged 15–44 years, and it is recognized as one of the most important public health problems causing, apart from premature death, injury, disability, and impaired quality of life for millions of people (Krug et al, 2002)
Descriptive statistics on the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) personality dimensions and the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) measures are provided in Tables 1, 2
Contrary to previous research reporting a consistent pattern of associations between levels of character maturity, externalizing disorders such as ADHD, conduct disorder, and substance use disorder, and aggressive antisocial behaviors (Nilsson et al, 2016), we were not able to demonstrate any associations between personality traits, cognitive functions, and levels of character maturity in the same study group
Summary
Interpersonal violence is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, especially for individuals aged 15–44 years, and it is recognized as one of the most important public health problems causing, apart from premature death, injury, disability, and impaired quality of life for millions of people (Krug et al, 2002). Evidence shows that a small and pathological subgroup of individuals is responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime and violence. The age-crime curve describes a clear increase in crime rates in mid-adolescence, peaking at about age 17, followed by a steep decline in young adulthood (Moffitt, 1993; Blonigen, 2010). Data on selfreported deviant behavior and delinquency show a sharp increase in antisocial behaviors during childhood as well (Farrington et al, 2009). Better knowledge of the characteristics of this particular group is needed to develop specific treatment interventions and preventive strategies
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