The Relevance of Hostility and Self-Control as Mediators of the Relationship Between Antisocial Personality Disorder and Offending

Abstract

Hostility and low self-control are two hallmark characteristics of antisocial personality disorder and are also risk factors for offending. This study tested for mediating effects of these concepts for explaining the antisocial personality disorder-offending relationship. The Pathways to Desistance data were used in analyses. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to estimate these relationships. A Clogg Z test was used to test the equivalence of the mediation effects. Results indicated that antisocial personality disorder diagnosis was associated with offending. Inclusion of hostility and self-control in the model accounted for 65% of the antisocial personality disorder-offending relationship and attenuated it to non-significance. Only self-control was a significant mediator of this relationship and the magnitude of this effect was significantly greater hostility.