Psychopathy and criminal violence: The moderating effect of ethnicity.

摘要

This study aimed to determine the cross-ethnic stability of the predictive relationship of psychopathy for violence. Participants were 424 adult male jail inmates. Psychopathy was assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised and criminal violence was assessed using a comprehensive database of arrests for violent crimes. Ethnic categories included the groups that make up the vast majority of US inmates: European American (EA, n = 166), African American (AA, n = 174), and Latino American (LA, n = 84). Ethnically aggregated Cox regression survival analyses identified predictive effects for psychopathy. Disaggregated analyses identified ethnic differences: Psychopathy was more strongly predictive of violence among EA (R~2 =.13, 95% CI [.04,.22], p <.01) relative to AA inmates (R~2 =.05, 95% CI [.00,.11], p <.01) and was not related to violence among LA participants (R~2=.02, 95% CI [.00,.08], p =.22). Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses yielded an equivalent pattern of results. These findings add to a growing literature suggesting cross-ethnic variability in the predictive power of psychopathy for violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 American Psychological Association.