Self-Report Psychopathy Scale Research Articles

The relationship between cerebral asymmetry and measures of psychopathy in a non-clinical sample is moderated by both empathic challenge and biological sex

This study investigated the relationship between psychopathy, as assessed by the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy (LSRP) scale, and cerebral laterality. EEG recordings from frontal cortex (L3 and L4) were taken during both resting conditions and while viewing a video of an emergency field amputation, used as an empathic challenge. The ratio of alpha power from the two recording site was taken as an index of relative activity in the two hemispheres. Eighty three students from the University subject pool were recruited as participants. Male participants had a significantly higher mean LSRP score than did female participants. While LSRP scores were unrelated to cerebral laterality under resting conditions, there was both a significant linear and quadratic negative relationship between LSRP scores and relative left-hemisphere alpha activity. As alpha activity has been reported to be inversely related to brain or mental activity, a negative relationship can be inferred between LSRP scores and right hemisphere neural activity. The female participants had a much stronger quadratic relationship than did the combined sample, while the male sample showed only weak, non-significant relationships. Our data suggest that the relationship between psychopathy and cerebral laterality may be sexually dimorphic.

Social appearance anxiety among the dark tetrad and self-concealment

This study analyzed the effects of the Dark Tetrad (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, sadism) and self-concealment on social appearance anxiety. Empirical investigations on which personality traits influence social appearance anxiety are yet missing. In this study, a sample of N = 1186 Chinese students performed a questionnaire-based survey assessing different personality facets and social appearance anxiety tendencies. Measures included the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, the Machiavellian Personality Scale, the Short Sadistic Impulse Scale, the Self-concealment Scale, and the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale. The results of the multiple regression analysis showed that psychopathy, Machiavellianism, sadism, and self-concealment positively predicted social appearance anxiety and narcissism negatively predicted social appearance anxiety. Machiavellianism, psychopathy, sadism, and self-concealment were positive predictors of social appearance anxiety, whereas narcissism was a negative predictor. These findings provide insight into the complex nature of the Dark Tetrad and their influence on social appearance anxiety.

Validation of the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy (LSRP) scale in the non-institutionalized Lebanese population

BackgroundPsychopathy has been described as “the first personality disorder to be recognized in psychiatry”. It has three core features: affective, interpersonal, and behavioral. The Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy (LSRP) scale is used to screen for and measure psychopathy. Our study aims to validate the LSRP as a tool to measure psychopathy in the non-institutionalized Lebanese population.MethodsWe surveyed Lebanese individuals residing in Lebanon and aged 18 through 65. It was a convenience sample collected via an online survey. 534 Lebanese participants completed the survey and were included in our analyses. Nearly 80% were female, 90% were college educated, and 60% were employed. We used exploratory graph analysis and confirmatory factor analyses to measure internal validity of the LSRP. We also used the HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised (HEXACO-PI-R), the Subtypes of Antisocial Behavior Questionnaire (STAB), and the Short version of the Urgency, Premeditation (lack of), Perseverance (lack of), Sensation Seeking, Positive Urgency, Impulsive Behavior Scale (S-UPPS-P) to measure external validity of LSRP.ResultsThe exploratory graph analysis showed that the LSRP had a three-factor structure (Egocentric, Callous and Antisocial) in the Lebanese population. This three-factor structure (RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.83, SRMR = 0.06) yielded a better fit than the two-factor, and three-factor Brinkley models. The LSRP was negatively correlated with the Honesty-Humility dimension of the HEXACO-PI-R and positively correlated with the STAB and S-UPPS-P subscales.ConclusionsThe LSRP scale is a valid measure of psychopathy in the Lebanese non-institutionalized population, adding to the currently limited literature addressing psychopathy in the Arab World.

A network analysis on psychopathy and theoretically relevant personality traits

Psychopathy can be divided into primary and secondary psychopathy. However, these variants of psychopathy can be found in other forms of personality and disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Regardless of the substantial overlap, studies have typically investigated bivariate relationships between psychopathy and other personality traits, leaving it an open question how these traits are uniquely associated with each other. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between psychopathy and other theoretically relevant personality and disorders which cover autism, ADHD, alexithymia, Machiavellianism, and trait anxiety. A Japanese-speaking community sample (N = 1000, M = 41.3 ± 11.5 years, and 500 women) completed an online survey. A partial correlation network with regularization was estimated. Results showed that secondary psychopathy (measured by the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy scale) has unique positive associations with autism, ADHD symptoms, alexithymia, and trait anxiety. On the other hand, primary psychopathy has positive associations with Machiavellianism and alexithymia but negative associations with autism and trait anxiety. These findings suggest that secondary psychopathy is a common feature (or can be seen as a general behavioral problem) shared by other personality traits and symptoms, whereas primary psychopathy may be a more unique variant of psychopathy, albeit significantly overlapping with Machiavellianism and alexithymia.

Dissociating cognitive and affective empathy across psychopathy dimensions: The role of interoception and alexithymia.

This study examined the associations between psychopathy dimensions (triarchic phenotypes and classical factors), empathy domains (cognitive and affective), and interoception (interoceptive attention and accuracy) while accounting for the putative role of alexithymia. A community sample (n = 515) completed an online survey encompassing: Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (boldness, meanness, disinhibition); Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (primary and secondary psychopathy); Body Perception Questionnaire (interoceptive attention); Interoceptive Accuracy Scale; Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Hierarchical linear regression models were implemented for hypothesis-driven analyses examining the associations between psychopathy, empathy, and interoception while controlling for sex, age, and alexithymia. Exploratory path models were employed to investigate alexithymia and/or cognitive empathy as mediators between interoception and psychopathy. Our results largely confirmed the postulated empathy profiles across psychopathy dimensions, as meanness and primary psychopathy displayed a broad empathy impairment, while disinhibition and secondary psychopathy were only associated with diminished cognitive empathy. Importantly, boldness displayed a unique pattern (enhanced cognitive empathy and reduced affective empathy), further reinforcing its importance within the constellation of psychopathy traits. Contrary to our hypotheses, self-perceived interoceptive attention and accuracy were not associated with either psychopathy dimension after controlling for alexithymia. However, interoceptive accuracy and alexithymia were associated with cognitive empathy, while alexithymia was also positively related to all psychopathy dimensions (as expected), despite the unexpected strong and negative association with boldness. Exploratory analyses suggested significant indirect effects (mediation) between interoceptive accuracy and psychopathy via alexithymia and/or cognitive empathy. These mediating effects must be interpreted with caution and future studies should be designed to formally test this model.

Intra and Extra-Familial Child Sexual Abuse: The Role of Psychopathy

Abstract The present study analyses the relationship between psychopathic traits, the four facets of psychopathy (i.e., interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and antisocial), and the type of crime committed (i.e., intrafamilial and extrafamilial child sexual abuse; and nonsexual crimes). The Self-Report Psychopathy Scale – Short Form (SRP-SF) and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale – Short Form were completed by 110 male individuals who sexually offended minors (ISOMs) and 146 individuals convicted for nonsexual crimes. Four binary logistic regression analyses were conducted, controlling for sociodemographic, criminal, and individual variables. ISOMs are less likely to score high in the SRP-SF total score and the interpersonal facet and more likely to score high in the affective facet than individuals with nonsexual crimes. Besides, ISOMs are less likely to have a prior history of alcohol and drug abuse and to have previous contact with the justice system but are more likely to have a history of psychological problems. Therefore, only the prior alcohol and drug abuse history emerged as predictors for ISOMs subtypes. According to our results, psychopathic traits should not be considered in the assessment and intervention of ISOMs, and the focus of the intervention should be on the affective dimension and the level of psychopathology.

Psychopathic Traits and Utilitarian Moral Judgment Revisited.

To provide deeper insights into the relationships between psychopathic traits and utilitarian moral judgment, we studied N = 702 adults using three psychopathy scales: (a) the Levenson's Self-report Psychopathy Scale; (b) the Psychopathic Personality Inventory; and (c) the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure; and three measures of utilitarian moral judgment: (a) trolley dilemmas; (b) the Consequences, Norms, and Inaction (CNI) model of moral decision-making; and (c) the Oxford Utilitarianism Scale. When using the traditional approach to moral judgment (i.e., trolley dilemmas, instrumental harm, traditional score from the CNI model), we found that higher levels of psychopathic traits were associated with a higher utilitarian tendency. When using the modeling approach, we found that a higher level of psychopathic traits was related to weaker sensitivity to moral norms and less action averse in morally problematic situations. In addition, we found negative associations between impartial beneficence and all psychopathy scores.

Factor structure, psychometric properties, and proposal for a brief-form version of the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale: Validation in a court-referred partner-violent men sample

Psychopathy has been widely studied among criminal populations. Most analyses address it in institutionalized populations, however, the present study examines the psychometric properties of the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRP) in 642 court-referred partner-violent men serving suspended prison sentences. The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the two-factor structure (primary and secondary psychopathy) of the original scale. The resulting scale was a brief-form version of the LSRP that presents satisfactory data in terms of internal consistency and criterion validity, and significant positive correlations with measures of intimate partner violence (IPV), antisocial personality traits and impulsivity. In terms of known-groups validity, meanwhile, psychopathy was found to decrease with the age of the participants. In this light, the LSRP brief-form offers adequate psychometric reliability as an instrument to measure primary and secondary psychopathy in partner-violent men serving suspended sentences.

Assessing the validity of self-report of psychopathy short-form (SRP-SF) in incarcerated offenders from Chile and Uruguay

Psychopathy remains a relatively unexplored concept in Latin America. The abbreviated Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (SRP-SF) seems promising in this under-resourced context. However, the SRP-SF should be tested for measurement invariance to achieve meaningful comparison across countries in Latin America. Therefore the aims of this study were to examine the underlying factor structure of the SRP-SF in incarcerated adult male offenders from Uruguay (n = 331) and Chile (n = 208), to examine the measurement invariance of the SRP-SF across countries, and to assess the utility of SRP-SF to classify first time offenders from offenders with criminal history. Findings showed a good fit for the four-factor model in Uruguay, and both Chile and Uruguay showed invariance. Conversely, the Interpersonal and Affective factors were not associated with criminal history in the Uruguayan sample. Therefore, more studies are needed before using the SRP-SF as screening tool to classify first-time offenders and reoffenders in different countries in Latin America.

Propiedades Psicométricas de la Escala de Psicopatía de Levenson en Población General y Penitenciaria

Psychometric properties of the Levenson’s Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRP) are evaluated in incarcerated (n = 300) and non-incarcerated (n = 248) samples in the Mexican population. The models that have been reported in previous studies were tested by means of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Brinkley’s trifactorial model was the one presenting the best fit, whose indicators were similar to those reported in previous studies. Regarding reliability, a Cronbach’s alpha = .766 and McDonald’s omega =.761 was obtained for the total scale. The observed results provide theoretical and practical support on the dimensionality of the psychopathy construct. Implications for both research and assessment of psychopathy in correctional facilities and in the general population are discussed.

Relacije crta Mračne tetrade i subjektivnih pokazatelja karijernog uspeha

This research aimed to examine the relations between the Dark Tetrad traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism) and the subjective indicators of career success (job and career satisfaction), considering their multidimensionality. The sample consisted of 227 employees (27% male) who completed the following instruments: the Serbian adaptations of the Job Satisfaction Survey, the Career Satisfaction Scale, the Mach-IV, the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire, the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, and the Short Scale of Sadistic Impulses. A hierarchical regression analysis was applied, with the demographic characteristics (gender, level of education, work tenure) introduced in the first block of predictors to control for their effects, and the Dark Tetrad traits introduced in the second block, while the criteria included various aspects of job and career satisfaction. The results showed that Machiavellianism was the dominant negative predictor of the subjective indicators of career success, especially the nature of work and communication within the organization, while secondary psychopathy had a significant negative effect on communication satisfaction. Narcissistic admiration was related to the dissatisfaction with the working conditions and relationships with co-workers. Primary psychopathy, narcissistic rivalry, and sadism did not show a significant contribution to subjective career success, although they showed negative correlations with the satisfaction with co-workers.

Vulnerable dark traits mediate the association between childhood adversity and suicidal ideation

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been associated with both Risk of Suicide (RoS) and the Vulnerable Dark Triad (VDT), the latter comprises Factor Two Psychopathy (FTP), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and Vulnerable Narcissism (VN). In the current study, we investigated whether the relationship between ACEs and RoS was mediated by the VDT. One-thousand and sixty-four individuals completed online versions of the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale III, the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder, the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale, the Childhood Experience Survey 17, and the Ask Suicide Screening Questionnaire. We found a strong positive association between ACEs and RoS. Further, we found that BPD and VN mediated the relationship between ACEs and RoS. These results highlight the importance of ACEs in the development of personality and RoS.

Cortical and subcortical grey matter correlates of psychopathic traits in a Japanese community sample of young adults: sex and configurations of factors' level matter!

While neuroimaging research has examined the structural brain correlates of psychopathy predominantly in clinical/forensic male samples from western countries, much less is known about those correlates in non-western community samples. Here, structural magnetic resonance imaging data were analyzed using voxel- and surface-based morphometry to investigate the neuroanatomical correlates of psychopathic traits in a mixed-sex sample of 97 well-functioning Japanese adults (45 males, 21-39 years; M = 27, SD = 5.3). Psychopathic traits were assessed using the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (SRP-SF; 4th Edition). Multiple regression analysis showed greater Factor 1 scores were associated with higher gyrification in the lingual gyrus, and gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala/hippocampus border. Total psychopathy and Factor 1 scores interacted with sex to, respectively, predict cortical thickness in the precuneus and gyrification in the superior temporal gyrus. Finally, Factor 1 and Factor 2 traits interacted to predict gyrification in the posterior cingulate cortex. These preliminary data suggest that, while there may be commonalities in the loci of structural brain correlates of psychopathic traits in clinical/forensic and community samples, the nature of that association might be different (i.e. positive) and may vary according to sex and configurations of factors' level.

Narcissistic and psychopathic traits in romantic partners predict post-traumatic stress disorder symptomology: Evidence for unique impact in a large sample

This study investigated whether partner psychopathy and narcissism predicted posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Participants (N = 1294) involved in romantic relationships with individuals they perceived to have high narcissistic or psychopathic traits completed the Informant Five Factor Narcissism Inventory, the Modified Self-Report Psychopathy Scale and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 to assess partner traits and their own PTSD symptoms. The study also accounted for the impact of previous abuse history such as childhood abuse, manipulative behaviors associated with these partner traits such as love-bombing, gaslighting, stonewalling, jealousy induction, relationship status and duration, and the presence of physical abuse.Multiple linear regressions revealed that grandiose and vulnerable narcissism were significant predictors of PTSD symptomology for those who had already left the romantic relationship, even when previous abuse, physical abuse, manipulative tactics and abuse frequency were accounted for. Partner grandiose narcissism was the strongest predictor of PTSD and was more predictive than abuse frequency, childhood abuse or physical abuse for those who had left the relationship. Partner grandiose narcissism was the strongest predictor for most PTSD symptom clusters. Partner traits explained the most variance in PTSD intrusion and avoidance symptoms. Love bombing and jealousy induction were significant but weaker predictors of PTSD, and partially mediated the effect of grandiose narcissism on PTSD, although the direct effect of grandiose narcissism on PTSD was stronger than this mediation. For individuals who stayed in the relationship, only psychopathy, abuse frequency and childhood abuse remained significant predictors. This is the first study to establish that narcissistic partner traits are associated with posttraumatic symptomology.

Insensitivity to Suffering: Psychopathic Traits and Perception of Others' Pain.

Despite growing evidence that psychopathy entails reduced emotional processing, the relationship between psychopathic traits and third-person pain perception is poorly understood. This study directly examined perception of others' pain in a sample of male and female students (N = 105) who completed the Self-Report Psychopathy scale (SRP-III) and the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ). Participants watched a video of 60 one-second clips of other people experiencing pain. Following each clip, participants rated the perceived level of pain intensity and pain unpleasantness. Psychopathic traits were unrelated to response bias, suggesting that individuals high in psychopathic traits were no more or less likely to impute pain to others. However, higher levels of psychopathic traits, particularly callous affect and antisocial behavior, were associated with a decreased ability to discriminate others' pain. Sensitivity and response bias were unrelated to TEQ scores. These findings provide novel insights into the influence of psychopathic traits on emotional processing.

Effects of Primary and Secondary Psychopathy on Deontological and Utilitarian Response Tendencies: The Mediator Role of Alexithymia.

(1) Background: The purpose of this study is to provide more nuanced insights into the effects of sub-dimensional levels of psychopathy on moral dilemma judgments. To this end, this study examined the effects of primary and secondary psychopathy on utilitarian and deontological response tendencies. Moreover, this study also explored the mediating role of alexithymia as well as the moderating role of gender in these effects. (2) Methods: A total of 1227 participants were recruited through the online questionnaire service wjx.cn. After deleting unfinished questionnaires, the remaining 1170 participants were included in the final data analysis. Each participant completed a demographic information questionnaire, the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, and six pairs of moral dilemmas. Descriptive and correlational analyses of study variables were conducted in SPSS 22.0. Mediation and gender difference analyses were conducted in AMOS 23.0. (3) Results: Primary psychopathy was negatively correlated with deontological response tendencies and uncorrelated with utilitarian response tendencies. By contrast, secondary psychopathy also correlated negatively with deontological response tendencies, but it correlated positively with utilitarian response tendencies. Mediation analysis revealed that alexithymia only mediated the relationship between secondary psychopathy and deontological response tendencies. Multi-group analysis revealed that there was no difference between females and males in the indirect effect model. (4) Conclusions: People with high primary psychopathy are less likely to reject harm in moral dilemmas. By contrast, people with high secondary psychopathy have high alexithymia, which causes them to be less concerned about avoiding harm, and they are more likely to maximize outcomes in moral dilemmas. These findings shed new light on the moral dilemma judgments of individuals with primary and secondary psychopathy.

Examining the Psychometric Properties of the Expanded Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale in Community and University Samples.

The aim of the current study was to further examine the psychometric properties of the Expanded Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (E-LSRP; Christian & Sellbom, 2016). Specifically, its reliability, internal structure, and convergent and discriminant validity were evaluated using university (N = 367) and community samples (N = 205) from Aotearoa New Zealand. The results provided support for the reliability and validity of the E-LSRP in both samples. More specifically, the internal consistency estimates of the E-LSRP were above the meaningful threshold, indicating good reliability. Furthermore, using confirmatory factor analysis, the hypothesized three-factor structure was supported and conceptually consistent with Cooke and Michie's (2001) Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) three-factor model. Lastly, the results generally provided support for the convergent and discriminant validity of the E-LSRP subscales; the E-LSRP Egocentricity was associated with criteria relevant to interpersonal impairment, the Callous scale with criteria relevant to the affective psychopathy domain, and the Antisocial scale with criteria representing behavioral dysfunction. Overall, the E-LSRP is a promising tool for assessing psychopathy in nonincarcerated populations.

Characterizing vulnerable and grandiose narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy in community-dwelling adult women: The role of cognitive styles, dispositional aggression and deviance, and personality traits

To evaluate how selected cognitive styles (i.e., ideas of reference and fantasy proneness), dispositional aggression and social deviance, and personality traits could help understanding similarities and differences among vulnerable narcissism (VN), grandiose narcissism (GN), Machiavellianism, and psychopathy in women, 986 Italian community-dwelling participants were administered the Italian translations of the Revised Green et al., Paranoid Thoughts Scale Part A (R-GPTS-A), Creative Experience Questionnaire (CEQ), Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), Self-Report Delinquency Scale (SRDS), and Big Five Inventory (BFI). Participants received also the Five Factor Narcissism Inventory-Short Form (FFNI-SF), MACH-IV, and Expanded-Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (E-LSRP) to assess VN and GN, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy, respectively. Multiple regression analyses showed that R-GPTS-A, CEQ, AQ, SRDS, and BFI trait scale scores explained a substantial amount of variance in the FFNI-SF VN (R2 = 0.62) and GN (R2 = 0.49) scale scores, MACH-IV scores (R2 = 0.29), and E-LSRP scores (R2 = 0.51). Dispositional aggression (i.e., AQ total score) represented a feature common to VN, GN, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy, whereas ideas of reference, fantasy proneness, social deviance, and personality traits yielded differential relationships with the dependent variables.

Aggressive behaviour in antipsychotic-naive first-episode schizophrenia patients, their unaffected siblings and healthy controls.

While patients with schizophrenia are more likely to be victims rather than perpetrators of aggressive behaviour, prior research has shown increased rates of aggressive behaviours in these patients that appear very early in the course of illness. We aimed to assess aggression in antipsychotic-naive first-episode schizophrenia patients, their healthy siblings, and controls; and to investigate correlates of aggression in the patients group. Patients (N=55), siblings (N=55) and healthy controls (N=71) were evaluated on Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), Life History of Aggression (LHA), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale. Age, gender and substance use were regarded as covariates, and differences between the three groups were evaluated using analysis of covariance. Hierarchical regression was performed to determine which variables were associated with aggression level in the patients group. The Tukey multiple comparison test showed that both patients (p < .001) and siblings (p=.023) scored higher on the LHA Aggression than controls. Siblings scored higher than controls (p=.010) for the Anger subscale of the AQ. Patients scored significantly higher than controls in the three impulsiveness dimensions; whereas siblings scored higher than controls in the motor (p=.023) and non-planning (p=.004) dimensions. Multivariate analyses showed that, after controlling for confounders, only attentional impulsiveness (β=.446, p=.0244) and psychopathy traits (β=.359, p=.010) helped predict AQ total scores among patients. Aggression and some of its risk factors including impulsiveness are likely to be trait variables that might provide important vulnerability markers for people at heightened risk of developing psychosis.

Psychometric psychopathy: Relationships with indices of reinforcement sensitivity theory factors

The current study examined relationships between psychopathy factor severity and individual differences in reinforcement sensitivity theory factors. Phase 1 examined relationships between factors from the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality Questionnaire (RST-PQ) and the two-factor model of psychopathy using the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRP) in 2914 undergraduate students (63% women). Multigroup observed variable path analyses revealed unique associations between RST-PQ factors and the two factors of psychopathy. Also, small differences in relationship strength across biological sex were observed. Phase 2 examined the two factors of psychopathy in relation to hedonic ratings from the behavioral Sweet Taste Test (STT), along with self-report measures of trait pleasure, in a subset of participants (n = 93; 66% women). Analyses revealed robust sex interactions in relationships between STT ratings and the two psychopathy factors. Men with greater secondary psychopathy severity predicted a reduced slope of liking ratings to increasing concentrations of sucrose, while women showed a positive hedonic slope for secondary and a negative hedonic slope for primary psychopathy. Future research should include analyses for possible moderation of sex and incorporate menstrual cycle status in women when examining measures collected in the laboratory.