Premium
The association of psychopathic traits with aggression and delinquency in non‐referred boys and girls
Author(s) -
Marsee Monica A.,
Silverthorn Persephanie,
Frick Paul J.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
behavioral sciences and the law
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.649
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1099-0798
pISSN - 0735-3936
DOI - 10.1002/bsl.662
Subject(s) - juvenile delinquency , aggression , association (psychology) , poison control , human factors and ergonomics , injury prevention , psychology , suicide prevention , occupational safety and health , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , medical emergency , medicine , psychotherapist , pathology
The current study investigated the association of psychopathic traits with aggression and delinquency in a non‐referred sample of boys ( n = 86) and girls ( n = 114) in the fifth through ninth grades at two public schools in a large urban area. Psychopathic traits were measured by both teacher‐ and self‐report ratings, whereas aggression and delinquency were assessed through self‐report ratings. Self‐reported psychopathic traits were associated with both aggression and delinquency and teacher‐reported psychopathic traits were associated with higher levels of aggression. There were no clear differences for the callous–unemotional, narcissism, or impulsivity dimensions in their associations with aggression and delinquency. Also, psychopathic traits predicted aggression and delinquency for both boys and girls. The one clear gender difference was in the stronger associations between psychopathic traits and relational aggression for girls. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.