Adolescent Psychopathic Traits and Violent Delinquency

• Author: Ryan C. Meldrum,Jamie L. Flexon
• DOI: 10.1177/1541204012470850
• Published date: 01 October 2013
• Date: 01 October 2013
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Adolescent Psychopathic

Traits and Violent

Delinquency: Additive and

Nonadditive Effects With Key

Criminological Variables

Jamie L. Flexon

1

and Ryan C. Meldrum

1

Abstract

Though ties between having psychopathic attributes and criminality are strong, only recently has the

criminological community appreciated that the characteristic traits of psychopathy are emergent in

youth and are variably distributed in the population. In recognition, this study evaluates the value of

psychopathic callous–unemotional (CU) traits in youth alongside key criminological variables in

explaining violence. Results show that CU traits remain robust among traditional criminological

variables in explaining juvenile violence. Further, CU traits are observed to interact with key

criminological covariates such that at higher levels of one construct, the impact of other correlates

on violence is weakened.

Keywords

psychopathy, juvenile violence, delinquent peers, self-control, interactions

In the field of psychiatry, the construct of psychopathy carries a long empirical history, with the first

recognized description being published in 1801 (Vaughn & Howard, 2005). Yet, only recently are

scholars incorporating and advancing the concept within the realm of criminological thought (e.g.,

da Silva, Rijo, & Salekin, 2012; DeLisi, 2009; Vaughn & Howard, 2005). Specifically, the concept

of psychopathy has been furnished as an explanation for criminal career trajectories because of the

stability and prevalence of psychopathic features among high frequency offenders (e.g., Vaughn &

DeLisi, 2008). Traditionally conceived as a psychiatric disorder, as opposed to fitting into the frame-

work of criminological theory, psychopathic individuals share several notable characteristics,

including being callous, self-centered, interpersonally exploitive, socially inappropriate in attempts

to satisfy needs, deficient in being able to secure affectional bonds with others, among other char-

acteristics (Vaughn & Howard, 2005, p. 236). Though scholars are recognizing the promise of

1

Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

Corresponding Author:

Jamie L. Flexon, Department of Criminal Justice, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33199, USA.

Email: flexonj@fiu.edu

Youth Violence and JuvenileJustice

11(4) 349-369

ªThe Author(s) 2012

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DOI: 10.1177/1541204012470850

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incorporating psychopathic characteristics into the study of delinquency and crime (Vaughn,

Howard, & DeLisi, 2008), these studies most often are limited to predicting career offending

(e.g., DeLisi, 2009; Salekin, 2008; Vaughn & DeLisi, 2008; Weibe, 2003). Very few studies have

examined psychopathy alongside other consistent and traditional correlates of adolescent

delinquency in noninstitutionalized populations (but see Vaughn, Litschge, DeLisi, Beaver, &

McMillen, 2008).

Importantly, scholars are appreciating that the collective domains that make up the construct of

psychopathy are largely normally distributed in the population (DeLisi, 2009; Edens, Marcus, &

Vaughn, 2011; Murrie et al., 2007). At the subclinical level, the composite characteristics of psycho-

pathy may be important to the study of general delinquency or, more pointedly, youth violence and

can serve to improve our understanding of delinquent, antisocial behaviors beyond that accounted

for by traditional criminological theories. As noted above, though the study of psychopathic traits

in criminal populations has focused on examining criminal trajectories among serious, chronic

offenders, far less is known about the value of these qualities in predicting delinquency in the general

population of youth. In addition, little is known about how psychopathic traits may interact with

criminological constructs to increase or diminish the probability of delinquency. Protective and vul-

nerability factors known to affect psychopathology symptoms have been taken for granted in other

disciplines (e.g., Muris, Mayer, Reinders, & Wesenhagen, 2011). It is reasonable to assume other

individual-level characteristics in the presence of psychopathic symptoms might mollify or exacer-

bate the effect these antisocial traits have on juvenile antisocial behavior. For instance, might pos-

sessing high levels of callous and unemotional psychopathic traits modify the antisocial

consequences of associating with delinquent peers?

Using data drawn from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s

(NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), this study seeks to exam-

ine the predictive quality that psychopathic traits have alongside traditionally recognized correlates

of delinquency which may serve to modify violent youth behavior. While much is known about the

role of psychopathy in populations of chronic adult offenders and confined youth, few have

investigated the role of psychopathic traits in nonconfined youth or the manner in which such traits

might moderate the influence of traditional criminological covariates in predicting delinquency.

Toward this end, the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory’s (YPTI) subscales of remorselessness,

unemotionality, and callousness (CU traits) are used to determine the viability and merit of exam-

ining psychopathic characteristics in concert with other theoretically germane variables to examine

additive and nonadditive effects on violent behavior among youth. Prior to presenting the methods

and findings, the literature on youth psychopathy is reviewed in greater detail. Next, the status of key

criminological variables is discussed prior to them being examined alongside psychopathic traits in

the current study. Then, consideration is given to the possible conditional nature of the relationship

between psychopathic traits and these principal variables in the prediction of violent delinquency.

Psychopathy

Most often identified in males (Vaughn & Howard, 2005), individuals suffering from psychopathy

are known to have a constellation of problematic characteristics. The work of Hare, Hart, and Harpur

(1991) has been of particular import in isolating the measurement structure of psychopathy. In par-

ticular, psychopathic features are observed to fall within a two factor composition. The first factor

contains the characteristics of being glib and superficial, having an inflated and arrogant self-

appraisal, lacking remorse, lacking empathy, and being deceitful and manipulative; The second

factor identifies early behavior problems, adult antisocial behavior, impulsivity, poor behavioral

controls, and being irresponsible (Hare, Hart, & Harpur, 1991). These traits collectively tap into the

350 Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 11(4)