Abstract
The co-occurrence of psychopathy and substance use disorders (SUDs) is associated with higher relapse rates and increased risk of violent offending. Studies on the validity of psychopathy measures in community samples and substance-dependent individuals (SDIs) are scarce. The aim of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRP) in a sample of Bulgarian SDIs and non-dependent controls. We tested 615 participants: 106 heroin users, 91 amphetamine users, 123 polysubstance users, and 295 controls. Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the tri-factor structure of the LSRP (egocentric, antisocial, callous). The scale demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity. SDIs scored significantly higher than controls on the total scale and subscales of the LSRP, indicating good discriminant validity. Overall, results indicate that the LSRP is a valid instrument for measuring psychopathy in Bulgarian community samples.
Highlights
IntroductionPsychopathy is considered an extreme variant of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), consisting of a constellation of affective (e.g., shallow affect, callousness, lack of empathy, lack of remorse), interpersonal (e.g., manipulativeness, egocentricity), and behavioral (e.g., impulsivity, irresponsibility) characteristics (Hare and Neumann, 2008)
Psychopathy is considered an extreme variant of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), consisting of a constellation of affective, interpersonal, and behavioral characteristics (Hare and Neumann, 2008)
Given its close relationship to criminal behavior, psychopathy has been usually studied among criminal offenders and has proven to be among the most valid predictors of recidivism (Salekin et al, 1996; Porter et al, 2001), violence (Hare, 1999; Walsh and Walsh, 2006; Thomson et al, 2019a,b), and poor therapeutic outcome (Rice et al, 1992)
Summary
Psychopathy is considered an extreme variant of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), consisting of a constellation of affective (e.g., shallow affect, callousness, lack of empathy, lack of remorse), interpersonal (e.g., manipulativeness, egocentricity), and behavioral (e.g., impulsivity, irresponsibility) characteristics (Hare and Neumann, 2008). Psychopathy and substance use disorders (SUDs) are highly comorbid (Smith and Newman, 1990; Derefinko and Lynam, 2007). The comorbidity between psychopathy and SUDs has significant implications for the course and treatment outcome of SUDs. Research shows that problem drug use is much more difficult to treat and is associated with higher attrition and relapse rates, increased lifetime sexual HIV risk behaviors, and elevated risk for violent offending in SDIs with high levels of psychopathy (Smith and Newman, 1990; Alterman et al, 1998; O’Neill et al, 2003; Richards et al, 2003; Wilson and Vassileva, 2016), those with high affective psychopathic traits (Durbeej et al, 2014; Swogger et al, 2016). Recent machinelearning studies have identified psychopathy as the highest and only common predictor of dependence on different classes of drugs (heroin, amphetamine, cannabis, nicotine, and alcohol), suggesting that psychopathy may be a key diagnostic marker for SUDs, regardless of drug class (Ahn and Vassileva, 2016; Vassileva et al, 2019)
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