Primary and Secondary Variants of Psychopathy in Incarcerated Youth: An Investigation with a Focus on Social Anxiety

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research generally supports the notion that primary and secondary psychopathy variants are relatively distinct, with primary psychopathy reflecting a congenital affective deficit, and secondary psychopathy reflecting acquired affective disorders. However, little is known about how social anxiety might play in terms of the primary vs. secondary psychopathy typology. The main aim of the present study is to investigate whether the two distinct subtypes of psychopathy emerge using a social anxiety approach. The sample was composed of youth (N = 225, M = 16.72 years, SD = 1.44) from Portuguese juvenile detention centers. Results using model-based cluster analyses suggested the presence of two distinct groups of youth characterized by psychopathic traits that differed on social anxiety. Primary psychopathic youth presented a significantly more severe antisocial/criminal behavior profile, while secondary psychopathic youth reported a less severe antisocial/criminal behavior profile and higher levels of empathy when compared to a control cluster. Findings based on a social anxiety framework suggest that the two subtypes of psychopathy are relevant in terms of assessment and that the development of future preventive/treatment interventions should take into account this typology.