Trauma, Psychopathy, and Antisocial Outcomes Among Community Youth: Distinguishing Trauma Events From Trauma Reactions

• Published date: 01 July 2021
• Date: 01 July 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/1541204020984214
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Trauma, Psychopathy,

and Antisocial Outcomes

Among Community Youth:

Distinguishing Trauma

Events From Trauma

Reactions

Matt DeLisi

1

, Pedro Pechorro

2

, Rui Abrunhosa Gonc¸alves

3

,

and Joa

˜o Maroco

4

Abstract

Psychopathy and trauma exposure are robustly associated with youth conduct problems, but the

interrelation of these constructs is unclear. The objective of the present study is to examine psy-

chopathy mediation effects related to trauma events and trauma reactions and juvenile delinquency,

conduct disorder, crime seriousness, and proactive overt aggression outcomes. The sample con-

sisted of N¼388 (M¼16.01 years, SD ¼1.03 years, age range ¼13–18 years) male youths from

Portugal. Path analysis procedures revealed that psychopathy partially mediates the relation

between trauma events and the juvenile delinquency, conduct disorder, crime seriousness out-

comes, and fully mediates the relation between trauma events and the proactive overt aggression

outcome. Trauma reactions have no direct significant effect on psychopathy, and psychopathy does

not mediate the relation between trauma reactions and the examined outcomes. Research on

trauma and adverse childhood experiences should encompass both events and reactions to those

events as they have differential associations with psychopathy and externalizing outcomes. Trauma-

informed service, supervision, and treatment is essential for understanding antisocial development

and psychological maladjustment among youth.

Keywords

aggression, conduct disorder, juvenile delinquency, mediation, psychopathy, trauma

1

Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

2

School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

3

School of Psychology, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal

4

William James Centre for Research, ISPA-Instituto Universit´

ario, Lisboa, Portugal

Corresponding Author:

Matt DeLisi, Iowa State University, 203A East Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA.

Email: delisi@iastate.edu

Youth Violence and JuvenileJustice

2021, Vol. 19(3) 277-291

ªThe Author(s) 2020

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DOI: 10.1177/1541204020984214

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