Psychopathy, Risk of Violence, and Protective Factors in a Noninstitutionalized and Noncriminal Sample

Abstract

The relationship between psychopathy and violence among incarcerated and institutionalized samples has received considerable attention, but less is known about the risk of violence posed by psychopaths in the community, particularly those with no prior contact with the criminal justice system. Moreover, little is known about why some psychopaths have avoided being arrested. This study considered the role of specific protective factors in relation to Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) scores and three measures of antisocial behavior among 54 community participants with and without criminal histories. The methodology effectively recruited individuals with moderately elevated PCL-R scores. Roughly 40% of the sample reported no history of arrests, and a sizeable portion of both criminal and noncriminal participants reported a history of violent behavior. Results revealed no significant relationship between protective factors and participants' PCL-R scores and involvement in antisocial behavior. Secondary analyses found a significant negative correlation between protective factors and PCL-R scores for participants with higher levels of psychopathic characteristics. Finally, noncriminal participants endorsed considerably more protective factors than criminal participants. Findings suggest that protective factors may hold promise for explaining why some high-risk individuals can avoid contact with the criminal justice system.