Psychopathy Traits Research Articles

Psychopathy checklist-youth version scores and recurring victimisation by an intimate partner in a justice-involved sample: A comparison of young men and women using longitudinal data.

People involved in the criminal justice system are at increased risk of recurring intimate partner violent (IPV) victimisation. Experience of trauma is linked to a variety of negative outcomes, including repeated experiences, so it is important to identify factors that may distinguish non-victims, single-event victims and recurring victims at an early stage as this could hold potential for intervention efforts. Research studies have identified individual-level risk factors for IPV victimisation but have not investigated psychopathy traits or sex differences. To examine sex differences in psychopathy scores and later IPV victimisation. Using the Pathways to Desistance study, a longitudinal study of 1354 adjudicated adolescent offenders, relationships between psychopathy checklist-youth version (PCL-YV) scores measured during the baseline wave, independent/control variables in wave 6 and self-reported IPV victimisation in wave 7 were explored using multinomial regression models. Among justice-involved young adults (average age 19), PCL-YV scores differentiated between non-victims, single-event victims and recurring victims. Higher total scores and higher ratings on the antisocial behaviours facet of psychopathy significantly increased the relative risk of recurring victimisation by an intimate partner overall, and specifically of emotional or physical intimate partner violence. For the young women but not the young men, a higher scoring on the interpersonal manipulation facet of psychopathy specifically increased the relative risk of being a recurring victim of any intimate partner violence. Sex-specific differences in relationships between high PVL-YV scores and recurring IPV victimisation can be used to screen for risk of repeated trauma for justice-involved young adults, which may change a trajectory of continued involvement in the criminal justice system to a trajectory of resilience and recovery.

Applying a person-oriented approach to workplace aggression: Implications for employee emotional well-being

Abstract Using a person-oriented approach with a broad sample of 200 employees across several sectors, we identified four victim subgroups sharing similar configurations of frequency and severity of aggression: high–high (high levels of frequency and severity; 15%), moderate–moderate (moderate levels of frequency and severity; 15%), high–low (high frequency but low severity; 26.5%), and low–low (lowest levels of frequency and severity; 43%). Further, we examined the relationship between victim groups, social demographics, and victim disposition. The results showed that women, young, and lower-tenured employees are at risk of belonging to the high–high victim group. In addition, employees with high negative affect and psychopathy traits are at risk of belonging to the high–high victim group. Drawing upon learned helplessness theory, we examined whether victim groups differed concerning internalizing problems. Results suggest that high–high group victims experienced the highest anxiety, loss of confidence, and social dysfunction, whereas low–low group members experienced the lowest levels.

Psychopathy traits explain variance shared between features of substance use disorders and violence.

There is a substantial research literature on identifying risk and protective factors for violence perpetration. Substance use disorders have long been identified as constituting a significant predictor of violent behaviour. Psychopathy traits have also been similarly recognised, but inter-relationships between psychopathy traits, features of substance use disorders and violence have been little explored. To determine the degree to which shared variance between substance dependence symptoms and violence, as indicated by criminal charges for violent offences, among jailed men can be explained by psychopathy traits. Features of dependence on substances in three drug classes (alcohol, cannabis and cocaine) were assessed in a sample of 682 men in a county jail awaiting trial on criminal charges, many for violent offences. Statistical comparisons of zero-order and partial correlations tested whether accounting for psychopathy total and facet scores, assessed by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), affected associations between substance dependence symptoms and violent charges. Total PCL-R scores accounted for a significant proportion of the shared variance between the history of criminal charges for violence offences and lifetime substance dependence symptoms in all three drug classes. At the facet level, controlling for ratings on the interpersonal and modified antisocial facets reduced the association between criminal charges for violent offences and symptoms of cocaine dependence; controlling for ratings on a modified antisocial facetalso attenuated links between alcohol and cannabis dependence symptoms and history of charges for violent offences. These findings build on the sparse literature to date on the role of psychopathy traits on relationships between features of substance use disorders and violence. Given that the observed connection between substance dependence symptoms and charges for violent offences is partly accounted for by individual differences in psychopathy traits, it follows that effective treatment for those traits may be useful, perhaps essential to reducing links between features of some substance use disorders and violent offending.

Assortative mating and the dark triad: Evidence from the UK, Fiji, and meta-analytic review

The ‘dark triad’ represents the socially aversive personality traits of Machiavellianism, subclinical narcissism (henceforth, ‘narcissim’), and subclinical psychopathy (henceforth, ‘psychopathy’). There is evidence of assortative mating suggesting romantic partners are more similar than chance for these traits at the start of relationships (initial assortment) and not becoming alike with time (convergence), that people seek out partners to whom they are similar (active assortment), and that partner resemblance is not explained by social stratification processes (social homogamy). As the literature relates primarily to Eastern European and North American populations, we present studies from the UK (N = 104 couples) and Fiji (N = 99 couples). These showed significant positive assortment for each dark triad trait (other than psychopathy in the Fijian sample), and suggest the effects are explained by initial and active assortment and not by convergence or social homogamy. We also submitted the literature to meta-analytic review (Machiavellianism: k = 10, N = 1302; narcissism: k = 14, N = 1645; psychopathy: k = 13, N = 1989) and observed positive within-couple correlations of small (narcissism, psychopathy) to medium (Machiavellianism) effect size for each of the dark triad traits.

Are Psychopathy Traits Related to the Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools Among University Students? The Mediating Effect of Self-control

ABSTRACT Based on the “brakes” model of self-control, this study sought to analyze if psychopathy traits are related to Artificial Intelligence use, and whether low levels of self-control mediate this hypothetical relation. A cross-sectional study involving 1687 undergraduate students was conducted. Psychopathy traits predicted more use of artificial intelligence, as well as using these tools to do academic work instead of the student and to create fake content. However, self-control just mediated the link between psychopathy traits and the frequency of Artificial Intelligence use, suggesting that the misuse of Artificial Intelligence tools might be planned rather than impulsive behavior.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Mentalization-Based Therapy With the Unified Protocol in the Treatment of Psychopathy and Comorbid Borderline + Antisocial Personality Disorders.

Those with cooccurring antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) are reported to be highly psychopathic and to represent a severe challenge to treatment efforts. In a sample of such individuals, the effects of two treatments, mentalization-based therapy (MBT) and the unified protocol (UP), were investigated on three outcomes: (i) the psychopathy trait domains of meanness, boldness and disinhibition proposed by the triarchic psychopathy model (TPM); (ii) antisocial and borderline symptom severity; and (iii) the severity of their common features including impulsivity, anger expression and self-harm. Of 163 individuals with BPD + ASPD screened for eligibility, 55 were randomized to MBT treatment and 53 to UP treatment. Outcomes of treatment were assessed at 6-month intervals to 36 months. Short-term reductions were seen following both treatments in traits of psychopathy, antisocial and borderline personality symptom severity, anger dysregulation, impulsivity and self-harm, but both treatment groups showed almost complete relapse of symptoms at the 36-month follow-up. UP had more durable effects than MBT. Despite being a considerably shorter treatment, UP was at least as effective as MBT and in some respects superior. Remission of symptoms was not achieved by either treatment in the long term. Psychopathy and borderline/antisocial comorbidity with which it is associated are to some extent remediable through psychotherapy, but only in the short term. Patients with high levels of impulsivity and disinhibition are likely to relapse following psychotherapy and should be closely monitored after treatment.

Sex and Sexual Orientation Differences in Dark Triad Traits, Sexual Excitation/Inhibition, and Sociosexuality.

The present study sought to investigate sex and sexual orientation differences in several traits related to sexuality and sexual behavior. Examining sexual orientation differences alongside basic sex differences to help identify correlates of sexual orientation diversity, and whether individuals with varying degrees of same-sex attraction show concurrent sex-atypical shifts in other domains. Males tend to score higher than females in the Dark Triad (DT) traits of sub-clinical narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. Similarly, females tend to be more cautious than males in their attitudes and desires toward casual sex activity (i.e., sociosexuality). These sex differences may be related to the propensity for individuals to become easily sexually excited, which is higher in males, or to instead inhibit sexual arousal, which is higher in females. In a large undergraduate sample (N = 2047), we replicated expected sex differences in DT traits, sociosexuality, and sexual excitation/inhibition. We found that non-heterosexual females were "male-shifted" in some of these traits, but these shifts tended to be strongest among mostly heterosexual and bisexual individuals. Furthermore, we found that within-sex variation in sociosexuality, sexual excitation, and sexual inhibition was not related to sexual orientation in a linear fashion. Instead, sociosexuality and sexual excitation were related to sexual orientation in a curvilinear (inverted-U) fashion, especially among females. The fact that traits correlated with bisexuality and homosexuality were somewhat distinct is consistent with the idea that different developmental pathways may lead to these discrete sexual attraction patterns.

Functional Connectivity of Moral Cognition and Traits of Psychopathy in Youth: An Analysis of the Scientific Literature

The aim of the study is to analyze the scientific literature and evidence on the mechanisms of functional connectivity involved in moral cognition processes in youth with psychopathy traits. Scientometric methods of citation networks based on graph theory were used. Bibliometrix, Sci2 Tool, and Gephi were used for the analysis. It was found that the dorsal and ventral regions of the prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, angular gyrus, anterior cingulate and temporal cortex evidence functional alterations in young people with psychopathic traits. It was also reported that graymatter concentration in the left posterior and right anterior cingulate are possible endophenotypes of psychopathic traits. The theoretical, empirical, and legal implications of a moral neural perspective of psychopathy andantisocial behavior are discussed. The results demonstrated that psychopathic traits, which occasionally lead to criminal and violent behaviors, have a neurobiological basis related to moral cognition processes. However, a neuronal moral model has theoretical and practical limitations, as well as legal implications for free will and moral agency capacity.

Validating the Revised Mating Effort Questionnaire.

The mating effort questionnaire (MEQ) is a multi-dimensional self-report instrument that captures factors reflecting individual effort in upgrading from a current partner, investment in a current partner, and mate seeking when not romantically paired. In the current studies, we sought to revise the MEQ so that it distinguishes among two facets of mate seeking-mate locating and mate attracting-to enable a more nuanced measurement and understanding of individual mating effort. Moreover, we developed additional items to better measure partner investment. In total, the number of items was increased from 12 to 26. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis revealed that a four-factor solution, reflecting partner upgrading, mate locating, mate attracting, and partner investment, yielded the best fit. In Study 2, this structure was replicated using confirmatory factor analysis in an independent sample. Based on extant studies documenting the relationships between psychopathy, short-term mating effort, and sexual risk taking, a structural equation model (SEM) indicated that trait psychopathy positively predicted mate locating, mate attracting, and partner upgrading and negatively predicted partner investment. A separate SEM showed that partner upgrading positively predicted risky sexual behaviors, while partner upgrading and mate locating positively predicted acceptance of cosmetic surgery.

Examination of associations between psychopathy and neural reinforcement sensitivity theory constructs.

We investigated psychopathy from the neurobiological perspective of reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST). In contrast to previous semantically derived self-report scales, we operationalised RST systems neurally with evoked electroencephalography (EEG). Participants were from a community sample weighted towards externalising psychopathology. We compared the Carver & White Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS)/Behavioural Approach System (BAS) scales with EEG responses associated with RST's systems of goal conflict (aka 'behavioural inhibition'), repulsion/outcome conflict (aka 'fight/flight/freeze') and attraction (aka 'approach'). Bivariate correlations and multiple regression analysis yielded results generally consistent with past literature for associations between psychopathy and the self-report BIS/BAS scales. There were some differences from self-report associations with neural measures of RST. With EEG measures, (1) no meaningful associations were observed between any psychopathy scales and the attraction system; (2) affective-interpersonal traits of psychopathy were negatively associated with goal conflict; (3) disinhibition-behavioural traits of psychopathy were negatively associated with goal conflict but, unexpectedly, positively associated with outcome conflict. These results indicate frontal-temporal-limbic circuit dysfunction in psychopathy as specific domains were linked to neural deficits in goal conflict processing, but there was no evidence for deficits in attraction-related processes.

Grandiose narcissism associates with higher cognitive performance under stress through more efficient attention distribution: An eye-tracking study.

Narcissism is a part of the Dark Triad that consists also of the traits of Machiavellianism and psychopathy. Two main types of narcissism exist: grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Being a Dark Triad trait, narcissism is typically associated with negative outcomes. However, recent research suggests that at least the grandiose type may be linked (directly or indirectly) to positive outcomes including lower levels of psychopathology, higher school grades in adolescents, deeper and more strategic learning in university students and higher cognitive performance in experimental settings. The current pre-registered, quasi-experimental study implemented eye-tracking to assess whether grandiose narcissism indirectly predicts cognitive performance through wider distribution of attention on the Raven's Progressive Matrices task. Fifty-four adults completed measures of the Dark Triad, self-esteem and psychopathology. Eight months to one year later, participants completed the Raven's, while their eye-movements were monitored during high stress conditions. When controlling for previous levels of psychopathology, grandiose narcissism predicted higher Raven's scores indirectly, through increased variability in the number of fixations across trials. These findings suggest that grandiose narcissism predicts higher cognitive performance, at least in experimental settings, and call for further research to understand the implications of this seemingly dark trait for performance across various settings.

The Spanish Short Dark Tetrad (SD4): Association With Personality and Psychological Problems.

The Short Dark Tetrad (SD4) is a recently developed instrument for assessing the "dark" personality traits of psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellianism, and sadism. We aimed to examine the SD4's psychometric properties, adapting it into Spanish and exploring its structure, gender invariance, reliability, concurrent validity, and nomological network. A sample of 668 adults (Mage = 26.36, SD = 10.64, 69.2% females) completed the SD4 and other self-report questionnaires. The results demonstrated sound indices of reliability and concurrent validity, an adequate four-factor structure, and support for gender invariance. Furthermore, most of the findings about the nomological network were in line with prior hypotheses: All four SD4 scales were associated with low levels of agreeableness and antagonism; psychopathy was also related to low conscientiousness, disinhibition and impulse-control problems; narcissism was positively associated with extraversion and negatively associated with internalizing symptoms; Machiavellianism was uncorrelated with impulsivity-related problems, which made it distinct from the psychopathy profile; finally, sadism showed a similar pattern of associations to psychopathy, albeit less strongly linked to impulsivity problems and externalizing behavior. Overall, the SD4 presents sound psychometric properties, although the overlap between psychopathy and sadism warrants some caution.

Childhood trauma and psychopathy: The moderating role of resilience.

Despite accumulating evidence of significant albeit moderate associations between childhood trauma and psychopathy, little is known about the potential moderators of these associations. To advance knowledge in this area, the present study investigated the moderating role of resilience in the childhood trauma-psychopathy link. A community sample of 521 adult participants from the Netherlands (40.1% men; Mage = 35.27 years, SD = 15.99) completed two self-report questionnaires measuring psychopathic personality traits: a self-report measure of resilience and a retrospective measure of childhood traumatic experiences. Correlation analyses were employed to investigate bivariate associations among study variables. Moderated multiple regression analyses with bootstrapping followed by simple slope analyses were employed to examine Childhood Trauma × Resilience interactions in predicting scores of psychopathy subscales. Childhood trauma had small positive associations with psychopathic traits across the board, with the exception of a small negative association with boldness traits, as well as a small negative association with resilience. Resilience was strongly and positively related to boldness, and negatively related to affective (callousness, meanness) and behavioral (antisocial, disinhibition) traits of psychopathy. Resilience moderated six out of seven associations between childhood trauma and psychopathic traits. Resilience appeared to represent a significant buffer in the associations between childhood traumatic experiences and psychopathic traits, such that these associations became weaker and nonsignificant (and even negative for boldness) at higher levels compared to lower levels of resilience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Self-Harming Behaviors and Psychopathy Traits in Abused Children

This study aimed to explore child abuse and neglect in relation to psychopathy and self-harming behaviors. A cross-sectional correlational research design was used to carry out the research. A sample of 100 children (50 boys & 50 girls) was selected at age ranging from 12-18 years through purposive sampling. The data was collected from two NGOs in Lahore through purposive sampling. An adapted and translated Child Abuse Screening Tool was used to identify children with different levels and types of abuse and neglect. Urdu version of the Youth Psychopathy Inventory was used to find out psychopathy traits. The deliberate Self-Harm Inventory was translated into Urdu for the purpose of assessing self-harm behavior in participants along with a demographic questionnaire. Pearson product-moment correlation showed there was no significant relationship between psychopathy and child abuse. It was identified that there were no significant gender differences between psychopathy traits and self-harming behaviors in abused children. The current study is significant because it addresses the pressing public issue prevailing in the country day by day, and it has a negative impact on the victim’s survival. The findings revealed that child abuse leads victims towards self-harm and can develop psychopathic traits. On the basis of results, further study is needed to be conducted on these variables, as self-harm was more reported in abused children as compared to psychopathic traits. The variables used in this study needed to be addressed broadly to evaluate the clear impact of abuse in this study, the limitation was the availability of limited data due to the sensitivity of the topic or legal issues that could be addressed in future studies.

The Dark Tetrad: analysis of profiles and relationship with the Big Five personality factors

The Dark Tetrad (DT) is composed of the traits of Narcissism, Machiavellianism, Psychopathy, and Sadism. Most studies analyzing the DT have employed a variable-centered approach, analyzing the traits separately. In the present study, we treat DT as a whole, adopting a person-centered approach. We analyzed different homogeneous subgroups of individuals characterized by specific DT profiles, aiming to examine their relationship with Big Five personality factors. A sample of 1149 participants (50.1% women, 18–79 years) completed The Short Dark Triad and the Assessment of Sadistic Personality instrument to assess DT, while the Mini-IPIP was used to assess the Big Five personality factors. Cluster analysis yielded five groups: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, Mean DT, Low DT, and High DT group. The main results showed that the High DT group was distinguished by higher levels of extraversion and lower levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness (compared with the Low DT group). Moreover, the Narcissism group was characterized by higher scores on emotional stability, openness to experience, and extraversion. Finally, distribution according to gender varied across DT groups (more men than women in the High DT group and the opposite in the Low DT group). Limitations and future lines of research are discussed.

Hypothalamic subunit volumes and relations to violence and psychopathy in male offenders with or without a psychotic disorder.

The hypothalamus is key to body homeostasis, including regulating cortisol, testosterone, vasopressin, and oxytocin hormones, modulating aggressive behavior. Animal studies have linked the morphology and function of the hypothalamus to aggression and affiliation, with a subregional pattern reflecting the functional division between the hypothalamic nuclei. We explored the relationship between hypothalamic subunit volumes in violent offenders with (PSY-V) and without (NPV) a psychotic disorder, and the association with psychopathy traits. 3T MRI scans (n = 628, all male 18-70years) were obtained from PSY-V, n = 38, NPV, n = 20, non-violent psychosis patients (PSY-NV), n = 134, and healthy controls (HC), n = 436. The total hypothalamus volume and its elevennuclei were delineated into five subunits using Freesurfer v7.3. Psychopathy traits were assessed with Psychopathy Checklist-revised (PCL-R). ANCOVAs and linear regressions were used to analyze associations with subunit volumes. Both groups with a history of violence exhibited smaller anterior-superior subunit volumes than HC (NPV Cohen's d = 0.56, p = 0.01 and PSY-V d = 0.38, p = 0.01). There were no significant differences between HC and PSY-NV. PCL-R scores were positively associated with the inferior tubular subunit on a trend level (uncorrected p = 0.045, Cohen's d = 0.04). We found distinct hypothalamic subunit volume reductions in persons with a history of violence independent of concomitant psychotic disorder but not in persons with psychosis alone. The results provide further information about the involvement of the hypothalamus in aggression, which ultimately may lead to the development of targeted treatment for the clinical and societal challenge of aggression and violent behavior.

The association between childhood trauma and emotion recognition is reduced or eliminated when controlling for alexithymia and psychopathy traits

Emotion recognition shows large inter-individual variability, and is substantially affected by childhood trauma as well as modality, emotion portrayed, and intensity. While research suggests childhood trauma influences emotion recognition, it is unclear whether this effect is consistent when controlling for interrelated individual differences. Further, the universality of the effects has not been explored, most studies have not examined differing modalities or intensities. This study examined childhood trauma’s association with accuracy, when controlling for alexithymia and psychopathy traits, and if this varied across modality, emotion portrayed, and intensity. An adult sample (N = 122) completed childhood trauma, alexithymia, and psychopathy questionnaires and three emotion tasks: faces, voices, audio-visual. When investigating childhood trauma alone, there was a significant association with poorer accuracy when exploring modality, emotion portrayed, and intensity. When controlling for alexithymia and psychopathy, childhood trauma remained significant when exploring emotion portrayed, however, it was no longer significant when exploring modality and intensity. In fact, alexithymia was significant when exploring intensity. The effect sizes overall were small. Our findings suggest the importance of controlling for interrelated individual differences. Future research should explore more sensitive measures of emotion recognition, such as intensity ratings and sensitivity to intensity, to see if these follow accuracy findings.

Addressing the Complex Links between Psychopathy and Childhood Maltreatment, Emotion Regulation, and Aggression-A Network Analysis in Adults.

Childhood maltreatment is the strongest predictor of psychopathology and personality disorders across the lifespan and is strongly associated with a variety of psychological problems, namely, mood and anxiety disorders, behavioral and personality disorders, substance abuse, aggression, and self-harm. In this study, we aim to provide a comprehensive picture of the interplay between different traits of psychopathy and distinct dimensions of childhood maltreatment, emotion regulation, and aggression. Using a cross-sectional design, we employed correlational network analysis to explore the nomological network of psychopathy and provide a sample-based estimate of the population parameters reflecting the direction, strength, and patterns of relationships between variables. The sample consisted of 846 adults (71% females) who completed questionnaires measuring psychopathy, childhood maltreatment, emotion regulation, and aggression. The results highlight that disinhibition traits of psychopathy are the closest attributes of early experiences of abuse (but not neglect) in childhood and correlate with all dimensions of emotion regulation difficulties, being specifically associated with reactive aggression. Neglect was a unique attribute in the nomological network of meanness, with widespread correlations with emotion regulation difficulties but also an increased ability to engage in goal-directed behavior. Physical abuse was the only dimension of childhood adversity that was found to be intercorrelated with boldness and increased emotional regulation was found in this psychopathic trait. No significant associations were found between boldness, meanness, and aggression once shared variance with disinhibition was controlled. These results are discussed in terms of their implication for research and clinical practice.

Do Psychopathic Traits, Sexual Victimisation Experiences and Emotional Intelligence Predict Attitudes Towards Rape? Examining the Psychosocial correlates of Rape Myth Beliefs among a cross-sectional community sample

Vast research has sought to better understand the origins and development of rape myth beliefs given the problematic influence of such misconceptions throughout global societies and criminal justice pathways. The current research aims to build on this body of literature by examining the contribution that psychopathic personality traits (affective responsiveness, cognitive responsiveness, interpersonal manipulation, egocentricity) and emotional intelligence may have upon rape myth beliefs. Furthermore, this study will investigate the extent to which sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, education), and prior experience of sexual victimisation, contribute to variance in rape myth acceptance scores. In total 251 participants (M Age = 31.66) completed an online, self-report questionnaire which included contemporary measures of psychopathy and rape myth acceptance, never previously tested in combination. Results of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicate that egocentricity, age, and gender were significantly associated with rape myth beliefs. Emotional intelligence, as well as affective and interpersonal traits of psychopathy, were not directly related with rape mythology. Findings are interpreted alongside previous research, where we suggest there is an urgent need for larger, nationally representative samples, systematically recruited from the general population to help clarify uncertainty in existing literature emerging from small-scale opportunistic datasets.

Risky Sexual Behavior and Psychopathy: Testing the Relationship in a Non-Clinical Sample of Young Adults in Hong Kong.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between risky sexual behavior (RSB) and psychopathy in a non-clinical sample of 714 Hong Kong adults, shedding light on sex differences. Our findings reveal that males exhibit significantly higher mean levels of RSB (general, penetrative, and nonpenetrative), as well as egocentric (Factor 1) and callous (Factor 3) traits of psychopathy, along with increased sexual desire compared to females. Regression analyses indicate that elevated levels of antisociality (Factor 2) and callousness (Factor 3) traits of psychopathy, along with sexual desire, emerge as significant risk factors for engaging in general, penetrative, and nonpenetrative RSB. Intriguingly, higher age and being in a long-term relationship are associated with RSB. The implications of this study suggest potential avenues for reducing, if not entirely preventing, the inclination to engage in RSB in the presence of psychopathic traits.