Secondary Variants Of Psychopathy Research Articles

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

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.

Operationalizing the triarchic model of psychopathy in adolescents using the MMPI-A-RF (Restructured Form).

The triarchic model is an increasingly influential multidimensional model of psychopathy that focuses on three distinct phenotypic domains of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition. Although originally operationalized through the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM), the triarchic model has also been operationalized through items of existing psychopathy and personality measures that provide sufficient content coverage of the triarchic dimensions. The current study aimed to provide a means for enhancing understanding of psychopathic features in adolescents through the development and validation of triarchic scales using items from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent-Restructured Form (MMPI-A-RF). The MMPI-A-RF normative sample and a large sample of juveniles undergoing court-ordered evaluations were used for formal scale development and the juvenile-court sample was also used for validation analyses. The MMPI-A-RF triarchic scales demonstrated adequate internal consistency in both the normative and juvenile offender samples, and were largely related to criterion variables, including measures of personality, psychopathology, interpersonal functioning, and adolescent concerns as predicted based on the triarchic model. Canonical correlation analyses revealed unexpected and novel findings of (variable-centered) patterns of associations between our predictor triarchic scales and criterion variables that resemble "primary" and "secondary" psychopathy variants or subtypes. Overall, findings suggest that the triarchic model as indexed by the MMPI-A-RF scales can be useful for understanding how psychopathy may manifest in youth and for identifying youth at risk for severe and persistent antisocial behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychopathy, impulsivity, and personality structure

It has been suggested that impulsivity is a core feature of psychopathy. However, certain findings in the research literature do not seem to mesh with this notion and suggest that primary and secondary variants of psychopathy may differ in their manifestation of impulsivity-related features. We carried out a correlational analysis and group comparisons on a sample of 106 non-criminal females. Variables that were measured include the Fearless Dominance (PPI-FD) and Impulsive Antisociality (PPI-IA) factors of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI); The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised, short version (EPQ-R-S); The Impulsiveness Questionnaire (I7) and Dickman's Functional and Dysfunctional Impulsivity Scales (FI/DI). The results presented a remarkably clear personality structure, supporting the notion that the PPI has two orthogonal facets revealing different patterns of association with impulsivity, and that these comprise different intercorrelated factors (PPI-FD, Venturesomeness, Extraversion, and FI, which form one intercorrelated factor; and PPI-IA, Impulsivity, Neuroticism, and DI, which form a second intercorrelated factor), suggesting that the personality structure revealed in this study is a gestalt.

Trajectories of alcohol and marijuana use among primary versus secondary psychopathy variants within an adjudicated adolescent male sample.

The distinction between low-anxious primary versus high-anxious secondary psychopathy is well-established among incarcerated adults and adolescents. However, no studies have used a prospective longitudinal approach to explore whether primary versus secondary psychopathy variants have different rates of alcohol and marijuana use across adolescence, and what mechanisms account for these differences. The sample was 1,170 male adolescents who had interacted with the justice system, with data collected as part of the Pathways to Desistance project. We used interviewer assessments of psychopathy and self-reported anxiety at baseline to identify primary and secondary psychopathy subgroups. We explored subgroup differences via self-reported measures of psychopathic traits and anxiety, aggression, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms at baseline and a 6-month follow-up. Finally, we tested whether groups had different trajectories of alcohol and marijuana use over 4 years, and whether poor impulse control or anxiety mediated these differences. Latent profile analysis identified four groups: low-anxious primary psychopathy, high-anxious secondary psychopathy, anxious only, and low risk. The secondary group had similar levels of aggression and psychopathy to the primary group, but more depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. The primary and secondary psychopathy variants did not differ in rates of alcohol or marijuana use across adolescence, but alcohol use among secondary variants was specifically mediated via poor impulse control. The findings establish two psychopathy groups that differ meaningfully in their internalizing psychopathology and pathways to alcohol use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychopathy in detained boys: The search for primary and secondary variants in a clinical setting.

This study investigates whether primary and secondary variants of psychopathy can be identified in an applied, forensic setting based on self-reports of psychopathy and anxiety. Data were available for two samples of detained boys (Sample A: N = 847, Sample B: N = 749). Using three psychopathy dimensions and anxiety as clustering variables, latent profile analysis arrived at 4 latent classes (LCs) that were tentatively labeled as control (LC1), high anxiety (LC2), moderate psychopathy (LC3), and high psychopathy (LC4). Boys in LC4 engaged in higher levels of alcohol/drug use, conduct problems, reactive and proactive aggression than their counterparts in LC1 and in higher levels of conduct problems, alcohol/drug use, and proactive aggression than boys in LC3. Findings further indicated that the risk for future nonviolent arrests was the highest in LC4 as compared with LC2 and LC3, though no class differences in risk for future violent arrests emerged. Overall, these findings were well replicated in Sample B. Exploratory analyses included additional measures of negative affect (depressed feeling and anger-irritability), maltreatment, and/or number of past arrests (as proxy of a 4th psychopathy dimension) as clustering variables and identified all but 1 (LC3) of the 4 aforementioned LCs. Notwithstanding that our findings challenge the expected relevance of differentiating primary and secondary variants of youth psychopathy, they do suggest that it is possible to identify detained boys with high levels of psychopathic traits who display features associated with adult psychopathy. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Supplemental Material for Trajectories of Alcohol and Marijuana Use Among Primary Versus Secondary Psychopathy Variants Within an Adjudicated Adolescent Male Sample

Supplemental Material for Trajectories of Alcohol and Marijuana Use Among Primary Versus Secondary Psychopathy Variants Within an Adjudicated Adolescent Male Sample

Primary and Secondary Variants of Psychopathy in a Volunteer Sample Are Associated With Different Neurocognitive Mechanisms

BackgroundRecent work has indicated that there at least two distinct subtypes of psychopathy. Primary psychopathy is characterized by low anxiety and thought to result from a genetic predisposition, whereas secondary psychopathy is characterized by high anxiety and thought to develop in response to environmental adversity. Primary psychopathy is robustly associated with reduced neural activation to others’ emotions and, in particular, distress. However, it has been proposed that the secondary presentation has different neurocognitive correlates. MethodsPrimary (n = 50), secondary (n = 100), and comparison (n = 82) groups were drawn from a large volunteer sample (N = 1444) using a quartile-split approach across psychopathic trait (affective-interpersonal) and anxiety measures. Participants performed a widely utilized emotional face processing task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. ResultsThe primary group showed reduced amygdala and insula activity in response to fear. The secondary group did not differ from the comparison group in these regions. Instead, the secondary group showed reduced activity compared with the comparison group in other areas, including the superior temporal sulcus/inferior parietal lobe, thalamus, pallidum, and substantia nigra. Both psychopathy groups also showed reduced activity in response to fear in the anterior cingulate cortex. During anger processing, the secondary group exhibited reduced activity in the anterior cingulate cortex compared with the primary group. ConclusionsDistinct neural correlates of fear processing characterize individuals with primary and secondary psychopathy. The reduced neural response to fear that characterizes individuals with the primary variant of psychopathic traits is not observed in individuals with the secondary presentation. The neurocognitive mechanisms underpinning secondary psychopathy warrant further systematic investigation.

Adult Bullying and Primary and Secondary Psychopathic Traits: Insights from a Community Sample

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to: (a) comprehend the relationship between primary and secondary psychopathy variants and bullying behaviors in adults; (b) to test for mediation effects of the experiences of victimization in strengthening the bonds between bullying and psychopathy; and (c) to explore how far gender and psychopathic variants predict bullying. Results showed that psychopathy (both primary and secondary) and gender (male) significantly predicted bullying perpetrator behaviors. These same predictors were also significant in explaining total involvement with bullying; primary psychopathy displayed, however, better explanatory power. Being a victim of bullying also mediated the relationship between psychopathic variants and bullying perpetrating. The magnitude of the correlations between bullying and both psychopathic variants detected in this study were bigger than the average reported in studies with children and adolescents, which could inform about greater severity of these behaviors in adult life. Specifically, findings from regression analyses suggest that components of cold-blooded psychopathy could be driving the engagement of this sample with aggressive behaviors. Implications of these findings, along with limitations and directions for further research are discussed.

Affective startle potentiation differentiates primary and secondary variants of juvenile psychopathy.

Individuals with psychopathic traits show an attenuated emotional response to aversive stimuli. However, recent evidence suggests heterogeneity in emotional reactivity among individuals with psychopathic or callous-unemotional (CU) traits in the identification of primary and secondary subtypes, or variants. We hypothesized that primary CU variants will respond with blunted affect to negatively valenced stimuli, whereas individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment, fitting with theoretical conceptualizations of secondary psychopathy, will display heightened emotional reactivity. To test this hypothesis, we examined fear-potentiated startle between CU variants while viewing aversive, pleasant, and neutral scenes. Two hundred thirty-eight incarcerated adolescent (M age = 16.8 years, SD = 1.11 years) boys completed a picture-startle paradigm and self-report questionnaires assessing CU traits, aggressive behavior, and maltreatment. Latent profile analysis of CU trait, aggression, and maltreatment scores identified four classes: primary psychopathy variants (high CU traits, high aggression, low maltreatment; n = 46), secondary psychopathy variants (high CU traits, high aggression, high maltreatment; n = 42), and two nonpsychopathic groups differentiated on maltreatment experience (n = 148). Primary CU variants displayed reduced startle potentiation to aversive images relative to control, maltreated, and also secondary variants that exhibited greater startle modulation. Findings add to a rapidly growing body of literature supporting the possibility of multiple developmental pathways to psychopathic traits (i.e., equifinality), and extend it by finding support for divergent potential biomarkers between primary and secondary CU variants.

Affective Differences Between Psychopathy Variants and Genders in Adjudicated Youth.

The present study used Model-Based Cluster analysis to identify primary and secondary psychopathy variants in a mixed-gender sample of 150 adjudicated adolescents (60 % male; M = 15.2 years old). Distinct primary and secondary psychopathy groups emerged and were entered into a structural equation path model for the purpose of predicting group differences in emotional experiences reported between youth assigned to each variant. Youth characterized by secondary psychopathy reported experiencing significantly more frequent and more intense negative affect than their primary psychopathy counterparts. Frequency and intensity of affect also mediated the association between psychopathy variants and symptoms of depression, in which the secondary psychopathy group endorsed significantly more symptoms of major depression than the primary psychopathy group. Overall, these results suggest that different causal processes and affective experiences may underlie distinct trajectories to primary and secondary psychopathy variants in adjudicated adolescents. As such, youths comprising the secondary subtype of psychopathy may be more aptly considered "callous and emotional," compared with the primary subtype who present as prototypically callous and unemotional.

Exploring Primary and Secondary Variants of Psychopathy in Adolescents in Detention and in the Community

The current study aims to ascertain how different variants of callous–unemotional traits differ in their psychopathology, exposure to aggression and violence, and aggressive and violent behavior. If secondary/distressed variants (high in callous–unemotional traits and high in anxiety) and primary/traditional variants (high in callous–unemotional traits and low in anxiety) differ along these dimensions, it may speak to their different etiologies, treatment needs (e.g., trauma focused), and responsiveness to treatment. The current sample consisted of 799 adolescents from high schools (n = 419) and juvenile detention centers (n = 380). Participants were interviewed regarding their callous–unemotional traits, psychopathology, exposure to aggression and violence, and aggressive and violent behavior. Parents/guardians and teachers/staff members also reported on participants’ callous–unemotional traits and aggressive and violent behavior. A model-based cluster analysis indicated that there were four clusters in the data set, based on callous–unemotional traits and anxiety: a nonvariant cluster, a primary/traditional callous–unemotional cluster, a secondary/distressed callous–unemotional cluster, and a “fearful” cluster. Secondary/distressed variants of psychopathy exhibited significantly greater symptoms of depression and psychoticism, more exposure to low level aggression and neighborhood violence, and more aggressive and violent behavior, as compared to the other clusters. Adolescents with callous–unemotional traits might not be a homogeneous group, but rather may differ in attitudes, behaviors, and exposure to risk, therefore differing in their treatment needs and responsiveness.

Substance-related disorders among juvenile offenders: What role do psychopathic traits play?

Substance use disorders are associated with psychopathy, a personality disorder that is heterogeneous in both adults and youth; secondary variants of psychopathy with comorbid psychopathology and primary variants without comorbidity show distinct correlates and outcomes. In adult criminal populations, secondary variants report greater substance abuse compared with primary variants. The primary aim of this study is to replicate and extend these findings to a juvenile offender population. Compared with primary variants of juvenile psychopathy, secondary variants (a) reported significantly more frequent substance use--particularly alcohol--within the 6 months prior to incarceration (d = .43), (b) were almost twice as likely to abuse substances while incarcerated, and (c) were more likely to be diagnosed with a current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) substance use disorder. Practical implications for working with justice-involved youth are discussed.

Relationships between psychopathy and impulsivity in the domain of self-reported personality features

Impulsivity is widely accepted as a characteristic of psychopathy. However, both psychopathy and impulsivity are multi-faceted constructs, and theory suggests that primary and secondary variants of psychopathy may differ in their manifestations of impulsivity-related features. Using a sample of 92 offenders, this study used the fearless dominance (FD) and self-centered impulsivity (SCI) factors of the psychopathic personality inventory - revised (PPI-R; Lilienfeld, S.O., & Widows, M.R. (2005). Psychological assessment inventory - revised (PPI-R). Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.), respectively, as proxy indicators of primary and secondary psychopathy, and examined their relations to multiple impulsivity-related constructs. Bivariate and hierarchical regression analyses revealed that FD and SCI have different patterns of association with impulsivity-related constructs and that these patterns are generally consistent with theoretical expectations. The results suggest that measures of impulsivity may be useful in identifying psychopathy subtypes.

Psychopathic personality or personalities? Exploring potential variants of psychopathy and their implications for risk assessment

Although psychopathy typically has been construed as a relatively uniform construct, seminal theories and contemporary research suggest that it may be heterogeneous. In this article, the most promising literature is distilled to distinguish among potential variants of antisocial personality disorder (APD) that can be derived from, and informed by, modern conceptions of psychopathy. This analysis suggests that there are primary and secondary variants of psychopathy, which may be distinguished based on the extent to which they are heritable and are characterized by affective deficits, impulsivity, trait anxiety, and characteristics of borderline and narcissistic personality disorders (NPD). These variants also may differ in their patterns of violence and responsivity to treatment. If variants of psychopathy can be identified reliably and supported empirically, psychopathy may be transformed from a global label to a set of more specific constructs that improve our ability to understand, manage, and treat individuals who have largely been regarded as dangerous and untreatable.