Search

Background: Those with cooccurring antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) are reported to be highly psychopathic and to represent a severe challenge to treatment efforts. In a sample of such individuals, the effects of two treatments, mentalization-based therapy (MBT) and the unified protocol (UP), were investigated on three outcomes: (i) the psychopathy trait domains of meanness, boldness and disinhibition proposed by the triarchic psychopathy model (TPM); (ii) antisocial and borderline symptom severity; and (iii) the severity of their common features including impulsivity, anger expression and self-harm., Methods: Of 163 individuals with BPD + ASPD screened for eligibility, 55 were randomized to MBT treatment and 53 to UP treatment. Outcomes of treatment were assessed at 6-month intervals to 36 months., Results: Short-term reductions were seen following both treatments in traits of psychopathy, antisocial and borderline personality symptom severity, anger dysregulation, impulsivity and self-harm, but both treatment groups showed almost complete relapse of symptoms at the 36-month follow-up. UP had more durable effects than MBT., Conclusions: Despite being a considerably shorter treatment, UP was at least as effective as MBT and in some respects superior. Remission of symptoms was not achieved by either treatment in the long term. Psychopathy and borderline/antisocial comorbidity with which it is associated are to some extent remediable through psychotherapy, but only in the short term., Clinical Implications: Patients with high levels of impulsivity and disinhibition are likely to relapse following psychotherapy and should be closely monitored after treatment., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Antisocial behavior (ASB) is characterized by frequent violations of the rights and properties of others, as well as aggressive conduct. While ample evidence points to a critical role of serotonin in the emotional modulation of social responses, the implication of this neurotransmitter in ASB is unclear. Here, we performed the first-ever postmortem analysis of serotonergic markers in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) of male subjects with ASB (n = 9). We focused on this brain region, given its well-recognized role in social response and ASB pathophysiology. Given that all individuals also had a substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis, two age-matched control groups were used: SUD only and unaffected controls. Tissues were processed for immunoblotting analyses on eight key serotonergic targets: tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2), the rate-limiting enzyme of brain serotonin synthesis; serotonin transporter (SERT), the primary carrier for serotonin uptake; monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), the primary enzyme for serotonin catabolism; and five serotonin receptors previously shown to influence social behavior: 5-HT 1A , 5-HT 1B , 5-HT 2A , 5-HT 2C , and 5-HT 4 . Our analyses documented a significant increase in 5-HT 2A receptor levels in the ASB + SUD group compared to SUD-only controls. Furthermore, TPH2 levels were significantly reduced in the SUD group (including SUD only and ASB + SUD) compared to unaffected controls. No difference was detected in the expression of any other serotonergic target. These results are in keeping with previous evidence showing high 5-HT 2A receptor binding in the OFC of pathologically aggressive individuals and point to this molecule as a potential target for ASB treatment., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.)

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) poses risk to the neurocognitive, emotional, and financial well-being of affected individuals. While aggression and impulsivity have been examined in relation to mTBI, little work has been done to evaluate the relationship between history of mTBI and personality disorder (PD). The authors examined the associations between history of mTBI and PD in a control group without history of mTBI (N = 1189) and individuals with history of mTBI (N = 267). Results demonstrated that any PD diagnosis is a significant risk factor for mTBI (p < 0.001). Cluster B diagnoses, particularly borderline and antisocial PD, were independently significant risk factors for mTBI. These data suggest a role for screening for a history of mTBI in patients with PDs and associated traits., (© 2022 The Authors Personality and Mental Health Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: To assess the impact of a short psychoeducation intervention for antisocial personality disorder on offending after randomization to treatment., Design: Multicentre, superiority, non-blinded randomized controlled trial. Random assignment was conducted in blocks of varying sizes at a central randomization centre. Participants were followed using national register data until 365 days after randomization, migration, or death, whichever occurred first., Setting: Thirteen outpatient uptake areas in Denmark., Participants: Patients with antisocial personality disorder in treatment for substance use disorders were randomized to treatment as usual (TAU, n = 80) or Impulsive Lifestyle Counselling (ILC, n = 96). A total of 165 patients could be linked to criminal records (TAU, n = 74; ILC, n = 91)., Intervention: ILC is a brief psychoeducational program targeting antisocial behavior. The trial was conducted between January 2012 and June 2014., Outcomes: Number of criminal offences leading to convictions based on national registers., Results: The mean number of offences was 2.76 in the TAU group (95% Poisson confidence interval [CI] = 2.39, 3.16) and 1.87 in the ILC group (95% CI = 0.97, 1.43). Negative binomial regression was used to assess total number of convictions, as well as convictions for violent, property, driving under the influence, and drug-related crimes. In both adjusted and unadjusted analyses, random assignment to ILC was associated with a lower number of total offences (incidence rate risk ratio [IRR] = 0.43, p = .013; adjusted IRR = 0.45, p < .001) and convictions related to violence (IRR = 0.19, p = .001 adjusted IRR = 0.19, p = .007) and property offences (unadjusted IRR = 0.30, p = 0.003, adjusted IRR = 0.42, p = 0.010). Differences between conditions were not significant for driving under the influence (unadjusted IRR = 0.49, p = .370; adjusted IRR = 0.53, p = .417) or drug offences (unadjusted IRR = 1.06, p = .907; adjusted IRR = 0.55, p = .223)., Conclusions: The ILC program shows promise in reducing offending behavior in people with comorbid substance use and antisocial personality disorder., Trial Registration: ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN67266318 , 15/10/2012., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Epidemiological estimates of substance use disorders (SUD) are critical for the planning of evidence-informed intervention and services. In this study, 250 incarcerated individuals in Nigeria were interviewed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Inventory (MINI) to diagnose SUD and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Most of the participants were males (97.6%), and the mean age was 35.4 (SD=13.5) years. Substance use disorder and ASPD were prevalent in 57.6% and 11.2% of the participants, respectively. Of those diagnosed with SUD, 35.2% and 22.4% had poly-SUD and mono-SUD respectively. Psychotic and dependence syndromes involving cannabis misuse were the most prevalent poly-SUD, and mono-SUD was characterized by alcohol, nicotine, and opioid dependence syndromes. Substance use disorder was more likely in participants charged with robbery and convicted, while ASPD was associated with prior and long-term imprisonment. There is a need for effective integration of treatment for ASPD/SUD into correctional mental health services in settings with inadequate health care using an appropriate model and a viable strategy.

This study reports experimental results from a clinical sample of patients with a cocaine-related disorder and dual diagnosis: Schizophrenia and Anti-Social Personality Disorder. Both types of patients as well as a non-clinical group of students performed two incentivized decision-making tasks. In the first part of the experiment, they performed a lottery-choice task in order to elicit their degree of risk aversion. In the second part, they decided in two modified dictator games aimed at eliciting their aversion to advantageous and disadvantageous inequality. It is found that the Anti-Social Personality Disorder group exhibits no significant differences from the non-clinical sample in either task. However, compared with the students' sample, subjects from the group with schizophrenia show more risk aversion and exhibit more aversion towards disadvantageous inequality.

Delinquent youth often experience depression, but depression's impact on their future deviance is unclear. Using survey and social network data on a panel of 9th graders (N = 8701; M age at baseline = 15.6; 48% male; 85% white; 18% eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch) followed throughout high school, this study tested whether depressive symptoms predicted later deviance or deviant peer affiliations among already delinquent youth. A latent class analysis revealed that 4% of respondents showed above-average levels of delinquency but not depressive symptoms, and 3% were above average on both. Compared to the delinquent-only group, the delinquent-depressed group went on to have less deviant friends, and to engage in less deviance themselves. However, peer deviance was not a reliable explanation for the reductions in respondents' own future deviance. Depressive symptoms thus may play a protective role against continued delinquency and substance use among youth who are already delinquent, but it is not because they reduce deviant peer affiliations.

As research on the dark triad (DT; the interrelated constructs of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) has accumulated, a subset of this research has focused on explicating what traits may account for the overlap among the DT members. Various candidate traits have been investigated, with evidence supporting several of them, including antagonism (vs. agreeableness), honesty-humility, and callousness and interpersonal manipulation (the latter 2 as a set). The present study sought to test the leading candidates against one another in their ability to account for the shared variance among the DT members. Using a preregistered analytical plan, we found that agreeableness (as measured by the International Personality Item Pool-NEO-120), honesty-humility (H/H) from the HEXACO-Personality Inventory, and the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale subscales of Callous Affect and Interpersonal Manipulation accounted for all or nearly all of the shared variance among the DT members. Big Five Inventory (BFI)-based measures of Agreeableness (BFI and BFI-2) accounted for notably less variance in most cases. The results were consistent across 2 large samples (Ns of 627 and 628) and across various DT measurement approaches. We argue that the most parsimonious explanation for findings on the core of the DT is that such traits all fall under the umbrella of antagonism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Mental disorders occur in patients with epilepsy significantly more frequently than in the general population or in those with other chronic diseases. The specificity of epilepsy as a condition of the central nervous system with complex somatic, psychic and social consequences contributes to co-occurrence of these disorders. Moreover, common patomechanisms are suggested for epilepsy and mental disorders, associated with disturbances of bioelectrical activity and neurotransmission in certain areas of the brain.The authors present a review of main groups of mental disorders observed in epileptic patients: psychotic, affective, anxiety, personality, and conduct disorders. They discuss their epidemiology and clinical presentation, with a particular focus on their risk factors and temporal relation to epileptic seizures. They also highlight problems associated with differential diagnosis and optimal therapeutic strategy. Mental disorders have a significant impact on the quality of life and functioning of patients with epilepsy. Further exploration of interrelationships between these illnesses, as well as cooperation between neurologists and psychiatrists promote an early and precise diagnosis of mental disturbances in this group of patients and their effective treatment.

There is a clear link between drugs and violence, and the extensive burden drug-related violence inflicts on society. However, drug-related violence is largely understudied, especially in female populations. The aim of the present study was to explore whether women convicted of drug-related violent crime differed on individual-level risk factors from women convicted of a nondrug-related violent crime and women convicted of nonviolent crimes. One hundred and twenty-five female inmates were classified using official criminal records. Multinomial logistic regression indicated inmates higher in antisocial psychopathic traits and low level of educational attainment were more likely to be in the drug-related violent crime group. In comparison, inmates higher in callous psychopathic traits were more likely to be in the nondrug-related violent crime group. Using official records of prison misconduct, a secondary aim tested whether prison violence increased the likelihood of being in either of the violent crime groups. Results show inmates who had committed violent misconducts over a 6-month period were more likely to be the nondrug-related violent crime group. Prison violence did not differentiate inmates in the nonviolent crime group from the drug-related violent crime group. These findings are the first to explore the relation between psychopathy and drug-related violent crime, and drug-related violent crime predicting future violent behavior in female criminals. This study demonstrates the heterogeneity in female violent behavior. Furthermore, psychopathy is not only shown to be an important risk factor for violence in women but also highlights that the dimensional construct is essential for understanding context-dependent violence.

Aggressive behaviour is a typical phenomenon in childhood and adolescence. Aggression is one of the frequent reasons for parents to seek child and adolescent psychiatric and psychotherapeutic treatment. Disorders with increased aggressive behaviour, such as conduct or oppositional defiant disorder, carry an increased risk for long-lasting negative impact on well-being, especially when comorbid with substance abuse or affective symptoms. Barriers for treatment are frequently a lack of insight into consequences and non-compliance with intervention shown by adolescents. In addition, interdisciplinary intervention needs to combine psychiatric and psychotherapeutic interventions as well as complex interventions supported by the youth welfare system, and in particular including families. Further research is needed for the implementation of evidence-based treatments in routine care as well in special populations, such as girls with conduct disorders or youth with substance abuse., Competing Interests: Prof. Michael G. Koelch ist Stv. Präsident der DGKJP Univ.-Prof. Dr. Manfred Döpfner ist Mitglied von Beratungsgremien oder erhält Forschungsmittel oder wird bei Vorträgen unterstützt von den Firmen Lilly Deutschland, Medice, Novartis Deutschland, Shire, Vifor. Er ist Leiter (Hauptamt), Dozent und Supervisor (Nebenamt) des universitären Ausbildungsinstituts für Kinder- Jugendlichenpsychotherapie an der Uniklinik Köln (AKiP) und führt für verschiedene andere Institute Workshops zu Verhaltenstherapie bei Kinder und Jugendlichen durch. Er ist als Verhaltenstherapie-Gutachter (Kinder und Jugendliche) der Kassenärztlichen Bundesvereinigung (KBV) tätig. Er ist Autor mehrerer diagnostischer Verfahren und Therapieprogramme zur verhaltenstherapeutischen Behandlung von Kindern und Jugendlichen. Er erhält darüber Honorare von Verlagen (Beltz, Elsevier, Enke, Guilford, Hogrefe, Huber, Kohlhammer, Schattauer, Springer, Wiley)., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a costly clinical condition. Previous studies identify executive dysfunction and reward sensitivity as factors contributing to APD. However, empirical evidence supporting the role of these factors in APD is mixed. The present study aimed to identify and specify APD-related dysfunction in cognitive and reward factors. In a sample of incarcerated males ( N = 116), we administered three tasks targeting distinct cognitive (perception, executive functioning, and probabilistic decision-making) and reward (magnitude and consciousness) factors. APD was associated with impaired perception when high magnitude rewards were at stake, regardless of reward consciousness. APD was associated with worse executive functioning during conscious high rewards, as well as worse inhibition during high rewards when working memory demands were high. There was no APD-related performance difference during probabilistic decision-making. These findings expose the multifaceted nature of cognitive-affective dysfunction in APD, highlighting the importance of systematic research and providing insight into treatment targets. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Studies related to psychopathy and EEG have increased over the past decade making it a good time to examine where the field is on this topic as well as to determine future directions. The current study reviewed 68 research reports that focused on psychopathy and various components of EEG. We examined early, mid, and late level ERP processing as well as spectra analyses. The results indicate that psychopathic individuals exhibit generally unencumbered performance categorizing cognitive stimuli and demonstrate the typical facilitation of physical responses commensurate with an intact orienting response. Moreover, the results suggest that individuals with elevated psychopathic traits are especially adept at screening out distracting threat-related and other irrelevant information allowing them to allocate attention to stimuli that are goal-relevant. Those with elevated psychopathic traits also do not appear to have significant impairments in associative learning or error processing. Where psychopathic individuals diverge most from those with low levels of these traits is in relation to processing affect-laden content. In some contexts, psychopathic individuals appear to quickly terminate the processing of emotional information and in other contexts (e.g., seeing others in pain) they elaborately process emotional information both of which may help explain their prototypical lack of conscience. Much of the aberrant functioning of those with elevated psychopathic traits depends on the psychopathy factor being examined with F1 traits showing less cognitive impairment than F2 traits. Recommendations for future research are provided., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and psychopathy attempt to represent individuals demonstrating callousness and disregard for others. ASPD has been criticized for capturing a heterogeneous population whilst missing the essence of the diagnosis by neglecting interpersonal/affective deficits which measures of psychopathy include. This heterogeneity in operationalizations has led to diverse findings without clear understanding of what characterizes this broader population. This study sought to clarify the neuropsychological profiles of ASPD and psychopathy. The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Assessment Battery was administered to 85 adult male offenders in a personality disorder secure service and to 20 healthy controls. Of patients with ASPD, 46% met criteria for psychopathy. Of those with psychopathy, 89% met criteria for ASPD. There were two sets of comparisons: ASPD versus other personality disorders versus controls and psychopathy versus other personality disorders versus controls. ASPD showed deficits across executive functions, visual short-term and working memory, and attention (compared with controls). Psychopathy showed deficits limited to attention, complex planning, inhibitory control, and response reversal. Response reversal and visual search deficits appeared specific to ASPD and psychopathy versus other personality disorders and may underpin antisocial traits. Additional deficits in inhibitory control and working memory appeared to distinguish ASPD from other personality disorders., (Crown Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is a severe personality disorder with robust associations with crime and violence, but its precise etiology is unknown. Drawing on near-population of federal correctional clients in the Midwestern United States, the current study examined antecedent background factors spanning adverse childhood experiences and childhood psychopathology. Greater adverse childhood experiences were associated with ASPD diagnosis with physical abuse showing associations with ASPD symptoms and sexual abuse with lifetime diagnosis for ASPD. Conduct Disorder was strongly linked to ASPD; however, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and ADHD had null associations. Given the role of environmental factors in the development of ASPD, greater criminological attention should be devoted to understanding how assorted forms of abuse and neglect coupled with childhood psychopathology contribute to ASPD especially given its linkages to severe criminal offending., (Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Although there is evidence that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms are positively related to alcohol use and related problems among young adults, little research has examined the mechanisms that might explain this association. In response, this study examined the mediating effects of coping and enhancement drinking motives on the prospective associations between ADHD symptoms and alcohol outcomes., Method: Participants (N = 4,536) were young men from the Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors. Measures of ADHD symptoms and those of drinking motives, heavy episodic drinking (HED) and alcohol use disorder symptoms were used from the baseline and 15-month follow-up assessments., Results: Findings indicated that the associations of ADHD-inattention symptoms with alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms and with HED were partially and completely mediated through drinking motives, respectively, whereas drinking motives did not mediate the ADHD-hyperactivity/impulsivity-symptoms-alcohol outcomes associations., Conclusion: Results indicated that coping and enhancement motives partially explained the ADHD-inattention symptoms-subsequent alcohol outcomes association. These findings suggest that interventions targeting enhancement and coping motives may help prevent problematic drinking among young men with elevated ADHD-inattention symptoms., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Longitudinal studies have shown that clinical precursors of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) include attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and more notably comorbid ADHD and conduct disorder (CD). Despite existing evidence for the purported role of abnormal serotonergic function in aggressive youth and adults, little evidence exists on the role of serotonin in the progression from childhood disruptive behavior disorders to adult psychopathology, including ASPD. This study examined the relation between serotonergic function in children diagnosed with ADHD and the development of ASPD in early adulthood. We hypothesized that low serotonin response to a pharmacological probe in childhood would predict the development of adult ASPD. Towards this goal we divided 40 adults (M = 37, F = 3), ages 23-26 (m-24.57, sd-2.33) diagnosed with childhood ADHD into 2 groups: participants with (n = 21) and without (n = 19) ASPD. We used logistic regression to assess whether serotonergic measures in childhood assessed via prolactin and cortisol responses to a fenfluramine challenge, would selectively predict the development of ASPD in early adulthood. Logistic regression models showed that low central serotonergic response in childhood indexed by cortisol response significantly predicted adult ASPD (Wald = 4.427, p = .035) but not ADHD diagnosis in adulthood. Adults without ASPD had the highest serotonergic response whereas adults with adolescent ASPD (i.e. early onset ASPD) had the lowest response. Thus we provide new evidence of the link between low serotonergic function in childhood and the development of ASPD in adulthood, particularly for boys with adolescent onset of ASPD. These findings are relevant for understanding the contribution of childhood neurobiology to risk for later ASPD., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: There is a modest but consistent association between violence and schizophrenia. The consequences of serious violence could be catastrophic for the victims, as well as the patients themselves and the community. Any knowledge that would help to prevent acts of serious violence would be of considerable value for the individual and the society., Aim: To identify external and clinical risk factors for serious violence in schizophrenia, in addition to considering the strength of the association between the factors assessed and severe violence., Methods: This was accomplished by a literature survey. One-hundred and two relevant papers were identified that were published during the past 20 years. Forty-four papers were assessed for eligibility. In all, 27 studies including clinical or cognitive variables were reviewed systematically. An effect size was reported where an odds ratio (OR) could be identified or calculated from available data. Five external factors and six clinical domains were evaluated., Results: Substance abuse is robustly linking schizophrenia and violence. Among the clinical factors, insight, impulsivity, psychopathy, motor speed and a global measure of cognition are the factors with the strongest empirical evidence for an association with severe violence., Conclusion: This is the first systematic review of risk factors for severe violence in schizophrenia, in which a great number of clinical and external factors have been evaluated. Most of the clinical factors have been compared on effect size. The identified factors that represent an increased risk of violence in patients with schizophrenia should be included in risk assessments.

Externalizing problems (EP), including rule-breaking, aggression, and criminal involvement, are highly prevalent during adolescence, but the adult outcomes of adolescents exhibiting EP are characterized by heterogeneity. Although many youths' EP subside after adolescence, others' persists into adulthood. Characterizing the development of severe EP is essential to prevention and intervention efforts. Multiple predictors of adult antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and legal outcomes of a large sample (N = 1205) of clinically- or legally-ascertained adolescents (ages 12-19 years) with severe EP were examined. Many psychosocial predictors hypothesized to predict persistence of EP demonstrated zero-order associations with adult outcomes, but accounted for little unique variation after accounting for baseline conduct disorder symptoms (CD) and demographic factors. Baseline measures of intelligence, which explained independent variation in legal outcomes, provided the only consistent exception to this pattern, though future work is needed to parse these effects from those of socioeconomic factors. CD severity during adolescence is a parsimonious index of liability for persistence of EP into adulthood that explains outcome variance above and beyond all other demographic and psychosocial predictors in this sample., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Purpose of Review: This review aims to give an overview on the current literature on sex differences in personality disorders and to highlight the potential of dimensional approaches., Recent Findings: Empirical findings on sex differences in personality disorders are inconsistent and appear to be highly dependent on study settings. Current studies have mainly focused on borderline and antisocial personality disorder and the question whether these are sex-specific representations of a common substrate. In general, sexes differ in the manifestation of personality disorders as well as in comorbidities. Criticism of the established categorical model led to an additional dimensional model of personality disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Investigations on sex differences in personality disorders are sparse and mainly limited to antisocial and borderline personality disorder. The introduction of a dimensional model offers the chance to re-think the construct of "personality disorder" and thereby also opens the possibility for a better understanding of sex differences.

The assessment of psychopathy in (forensic) schizophrenia spectrum disorders is long-standing debate. In the present study, we investigated the psychometric properties of the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality-Institutional Rating Scale (CAPP-IRS) in a sample of 72 male forensic patients with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. We compared the CAPP-IRS' psychometric properties to those of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). The CAPP-IRS showed good interrater reliability and internal consistency except for the CAPP-IRS Cognition and Emotional Domains. There appears to be a larger but intelligible overlap between the CAPP-IRS and schizophrenia symptoms than between the PCL-R and schizophrenia symptoms. Inversely, the PCL-R showed overall stronger associations with risk assessment measures. We conclude that, in (forensic) schizophrenia disorder spectrum patients, the CAPP-IRS has closer associations with clinical features, while the PCL-R is better a predicting risk and life-time dimensions., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Hamilton and colleagues (2015) recently proposed that an integrative deficit in psychopathy restricts simultaneous processing, thereby leaving fewer resources available for information encoding, narrowing the scope of attention, and undermining associative processing. The current study evaluated this parallel processing deficit proposal using the Simultaneous-Sequential paradigm. This investigation marks the first a priori test of the Hamilton et al.'s theoretical framework. We predicted that psychopathy would be associated with inferior performance (as indexed by lower accuracy and longer response time) on trials requiring simultaneous processing of visual information relative to trials necessitating sequential processing. Results were consistent with these predictions, supporting the proposal that psychopathy is characterized by a reduced capacity to process multicomponent perceptual information concurrently. We discuss the potential implications of impaired simultaneous processing for the conceptualization of the psychopathic deficit. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).)

Task-irrelevant emotional expressions are known to capture attention, with the extent of "emotional capture" varying with psychopathic traits in antisocial samples. We investigated whether this variation extends throughout the continuum of psychopathic traits (and co-occurring trait anxiety) in a community sample. Participants (N = 85) searched for a target face among facial distractors. As predicted, angry and fearful faces interfered with search, indicated by slower reaction times relative to neutral faces. When fear appeared as either target or distractor, diminished emotional capture was seen with increasing affective-interpersonal psychopathic traits. However, moderation analyses revealed that this was only when lifestyle-antisocial psychopathic traits were low, consistent with evidence suggesting that these two facets of psychopathic traits display opposing relationships with emotional reactivity. Anxiety did not show the predicted relationships with emotional capture effects. Findings show that normative variation in high-level individual differences in psychopathic traits influence automatic bias to emotional stimuli.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the association between novelty seeking (NS) and antisocial behaviours (age 18-35)., Method: A New Zealand general population birth cohort was studied from 1977 to 2012. Sample sizes ranged from n = 962 (age 35) to n = 1025 (age 18). NS was measured at age 16 using the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. Perpetration of antisocial behaviours was ascertained by self-report at ages 18, 21, 25, 30 and 35. Generalized estimating equation models investigated the association between NS and antisocial behaviours net of individual factors and correlates of NS before age 16 and alcohol and substance use disorders at age 18-35., Results: Higher NS scores were associated with a higher unadjusted incidence of all forms of antisocial behaviour. Assault, theft, property damage and dishonesty offending remained associated with NS after adjustment for individual factors and correlates of NS before age 16. After further adjustment for alcohol and substance use disorders, NS was not associated with any antisocial behaviour outcomes, suggesting those disorders mediate the association between NS and antisocial behaviours., Conclusion: Alcohol and substance use disorders mediate the association between NS and antisocial behaviours in early adulthood. NS may be a useful endophenotype for investigating the causation of externalizing behaviours. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., (Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The aim is to review the salient literature on borderline personality disorder (BPD) in men and link those findings with case vignettes. We provide a literature review and then report case examples of those who met DSM and clinical BPD criteria, and consider the extent to which the small male sub-set corresponded developmentally and phenomenologically with prototypic BPD in women. The review considered phenomenological, epidemiological, biological and developmental BPD factors, finding BPD men evidence elevated substance abuse, and 'externalising' patterns of behavior, antisocial personality traits, violent self-harm and interpersonal aggression, whereas women display more 'internalising' strategies. The five male vignettes enriched the literature review providing support for gender differences reported in our review. The literature and case vignette findings should assist clinicians in recognising that BPD in men may not be as rare as generally viewed, and which may reflect BPD being commonly viewed as weighted to women and being misdiagnosed as an antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) in men., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Overview: Though not an official diagnosis, psychopathy has become an important area of research due to the litany of deleterious outcomes associated with this aspect of temperament. Psychopathy is composed of primary and secondary traits. Research consistently links psychopathy to alcohol pathology, though often only via secondary traits which are comprised of intractable aspects of behavior (e.g., poor impulse control). In contrast, primary psychopathy is comprised of behaviors that can be learned and thus may be more malleable (i.e., low harm reduction behaviors)., Objectives: The current study examines associations between primary psychopathic traits and alcohol involvement as a function of Protective Behavioral Strategies (PBS) utilization in a sample of college students., Method: Participants (n = 936 college student drinkers; 66.56% female) completed a series of questionnaires assessing primary psychopathy, alcohol involvement, and PBS use., Results: There was a significant positive association between primary psychopathy and alcohol consumption and pathology. This association was partially mediated via diminished PBS use. PBS use also moderated the relationship between alcohol consumption and pathology. The indirect effects from psychopathy to alcohol outcomes were attenuated at high (+1SD) PBS and potentiated at low (-1SD) PBS., Conclusion: The current findings suggest that some of the alcohol pathology associated with psychopathy is a function of lower harm reduction strategies among individuals with more psychopathic traits. These findings suggest that interventions targeting PBS use may be one way to reduce alcohol problems among those with higher levels of primary psychopathy.

Forbes, Wright, Markon, and Krueger (2017) stated that "psychopathology networks have limited replicability" (p. 1011) and that "popular network analysis methods produce unreliable results" (p. 1011). These conclusions are based on an assessment of the replicability of four different network models for symptoms of major depression and generalized anxiety across two samples; in addition, Forbes et al. analyzed the stability of the network models within the samples using split-halves. Our reanalysis of the same data with the same methods led to results directly opposed to theirs: All network models replicated very well across the two data sets and across the split-halves. We trace the differences between Forbes et al.'s results and our own to the fact that they did not appear to accurately implement all network models and used debatable metrics to assess replicability. In particular, they deviated from existing estimation routines for relative importance networks, did not acknowledge the fact that the skip structure used in the interviews strongly distorted correlations between symptoms, and incorrectly assumed that network structures and metrics should be the same not only across the different samples but also across the different network models used. In addition to a comprehensive reanalysis of the data, we end with a discussion of best practices concerning future research into the replicability of psychometric networks. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).)

Network analysis is quickly gaining popularity in psychopathology research as a method that aims to reveal causal relationships among individual symptoms. To date, 4 main types of psychopathology networks have been proposed: (a) association networks, (b) regularized concentration networks, (c) relative importance networks, and (d) directed acyclic graphs. The authors examined the replicability of these analyses based on symptoms of major depression and generalized anxiety between and within 2 highly similar epidemiological samples (i.e., the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication [n = 9282] and the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing [n = 8841]). Although association networks were stable, the 3 other types of network analysis (i.e., the conditional independence networks) had poor replicability between and within methods and samples. The detailed aspects of the models-such as the estimation of specific edges and the centrality of individual nodes-were particularly unstable. For example, 44% of the symptoms were estimated as the "most influential" on at least 1 centrality index across the 6 conditional independence networks in the full samples, and only 13-21% of the edges were consistently estimated across these networks. One of the likely reasons for the instability of the networks is the predominance of measurement error in the assessment of individual symptoms. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for the growing field of psychopathology network research, and conclude that novel results originating from psychopathology networks should be held to higher standards of evidence before they are ready for dissemination or implementation in the field. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).)

Objective: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with elevated risk for a variety of risky behaviors, including criminal behaviors. Yet, limited research has examined the relation of BPD to criminal justice (CJ) involvement, or the mechanisms underlying this relation., Procedures: This study examined the role of two mechanisms, emotion-driven difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors and physical aggression, in the relation between BPD symptom severity and CJ involvement among 118 patients in residential substance abuse treatment (76% male; 62% African-American). Participants completed measures of BPD symptom severity, CJ contact, diversity of CJ charges, emotion-driven impulse control difficulties, physical aggression, and covariates (substance use severity and antisocial personality disorder symptoms)., Results: BPD symptom severity was associated with CJ contact through emotion-driven difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors, and with diversity of CJ charges through emotion-driven difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors and physical aggression; however, the indirect relations to diversity of CJ charges became non-significant when covariates were included., Conclusions: Results highlight the important role of emotion-driven difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors in criminal behaviors among individuals with BPD symptoms, as well as the potential clinical utility of targeting this mechanism to prevent CJ involvement and/or recidivism., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aggressive behavior is assumed to be associated with certain patterns of social information processing. While some theories link aggression to a tendency to interpret ambiguous stimuli as hostile (i.e., enhanced sensitivity to anger), others assume an insufficient ability to perceive emotional expressions, particularly fear. Despite compelling evidence to support both theories, no previous study has directly investigated the predictions made by these two accounts in aggressive populations. The aim of the current study was to test processing patterns for angry and fearful facial expressions in violent offenders (VOs) and healthy controls (CTLs) and their association with self-reported aggression and psychopathy scores. In Experiment 1, we assessed perceptual sensitivity to neutral-emotional (angry, fearful, happy) blends in a task which did not require categorization, but an indication whether the stimulus is neutral or emotional. In Experiment 2, we assessed categorization performance for ambiguous fearful-happy and angry-happy blends. No group differences were revealed in Experiment 1, while Experiment 2 indicated a deficit in the categorization of ambiguous fearful blends in the VO group. Importantly, this deficit was associated with both self-reported psychopathy and aggression in the VO, but not the CTL group. The current study provides evidence for a deficient categorization of fearful expressions and its association with self-reported aggression and psychopathy in VOs, but no support for heightened sensitivity to anger. Furthermore, the current findings indicate that the deficit is tied to categorization but not detection stages of social information processing.

In public goods situations, a specific destructive behavior emerges when individuals face the possibility of punishing others: antisocial punishment, that is, costly punishing cooperative individuals. So far, little is known about the (intuitive or reflective) processes underlying antisocial punishment. Building on the Social Heuristics Hypothesis and arguing that antisocial punishment reflects the basic characteristics of sadism, namely, aggressive behavior to dominate and to harm other individuals it is assumed that everyday sadists intuitively engage in antisocial punishment. Two studies document that activating (Study 1) and inhibiting (Study 2) the intuitive system when a punishment option can be realized in one-shot iterated public goods games increased (Study 1) and reduced (Study 2) antisocial punishment, in particular among individuals who reported a proneness to sadism. In sum, the present research suggests that sadistic tendencies executed intuitively play a crucial role regarding antisocial punishment in public goods situations.

Rationale: Peer victimization in children and adolescents is a serious public health concern. Growing evidence exists for negative consequences of peer victimization, but research has mostly been short term and little is known about the mechanisms that moderate and mediate the impacts of peer victimization on subsequent antisocial behavior., Objective: The current study intended to examine the longitudinal relationship between peer victimization in adolescence and antisocial behavior in young adulthood and to determine whether sleep problems influence this relationship., Methods: In total, 2006 adolescents participated in a prospective study from 2009 to 2013. The moderating role of sleep problems was examined by testing the significance of the interaction between peer victimization and sleep problems. The mediating role of sleep problems was tested by using bootstrapping mediational analyses. All analyses were conducted using SAS 9.3 software., Results: We found that peer victimization during adolescence was positively and significantly associated with antisocial behavior in young adulthood (β = 0.10, p < 0.0001). This association was mediated, but not moderated by sleep problems. Specifically, peer victimization first increased levels of sleep problems, which in turn elevated the risk of antisocial behavior (indirect effect: 0.01, 95% bootstrap confidence interval: 0.004, 0.021)., Conclusion: These findings imply that sleep problems may operate as a potential mechanism through which peer victimization during adolescence leads to increases in antisocial behavior in young adulthood. Prevention and intervention programs that target sleep problems may yield benefits for decreasing antisocial behavior in adolescents who have been victimized by peers., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study is to compare the features of two groups of cocaine dependent patients in treatment, one of them with co-morbid diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder and the other not. Cross-sectional design, with 143 cocaine-dependent patients attending a drug unit, distributed in two groups: patients with and without Antisocial Personality Disorder. As results, we found that the 15.38% of the sample were diagnosed with an Antisocial Personality Disorder. In relation to socio-demographic variables, Antisocial Personality Disorder patients have less probability of being working or studying (9.1% vs. 47.9%). After multivariate analysis it was found that significantly Antisocial Personality Disorder patients have more opiates dependence (OR: 0.219; 95% IC 0.072-0.660), sedative dependence (OR: 0.203; 95% IC 0.062-0.644) and in more cases show Borderline Personality Disorder (OR: 0.239; 95% IC 0.077-0.746). This study highlights significant differences between cocaine addicts with or without an Antisocial Personality Disorder. All these differences are good indicators of the complexity of the patients with this personality disorder. Better knowledge of their profile will help us to improve the design of specific treatment programs., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To examine the associations between substance use and antisocial behavior trajectories and seven risky behaviors over time., Method: Data were collected from a high-risk sample of adolescents followed into young adulthood. Five trajectory classes, identified based on dual development of substance use and antisocial behavior symptoms, were used to predict three risky driving and four risky sexual behaviors., Results: In this high-risk sample (n=530), participants reported notably high overall rates of reckless driving (55.5%) and unprotected sex under the influence (44.8%) in the past year. Risky behaviors that are typically of low base rates in population-based studies were also elevated, with 8.8% reporting past-year driving under the influence (DUI) charge, 17.6% reporting lifetime sexually transmitted infection (STI), and 10.4% reporting lifetime injection drug use. The Dual Chronic class had the highest levels of all seven risky behaviors, and were 3-4 times more likely to report risky driving, lifetime STI, and injection drug use than the Relatively Resolved class. Rates of past-year reckless driving and DUI were elevated among classes with persistent antisocial behavior, whereas rates of DUI, DUI charge, and unprotected sex under the influence were elevated among classes with persistent substance use., Conclusions: Young adults with persistent co-occurring substance use and antisocial behavior engage in multiple very costly risky behaviors. Differential associations between risky behaviors and trajectory classes highlight the need for targeted interventions., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.)

Self-inflicted injury (SII) is a continuum of intentionally self-destructive behaviors, including nonsuicidal self-injuries, suicide attempts, and death by suicide. These behaviors are among the most pressing yet perplexing clinical problems, affecting males and females of every race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status, and nearly every age. The complexity of these behaviors has spurred an immense literature documenting risk and vulnerability factors ranging from individual to societal levels of analysis. However, there have been relatively few attempts to articulate a life span developmental model that integrates ontogenenic processes across these diverse systems. The objective of this review is to outline such a model with a focus on how observed patterns of comorbidity and continuity can inform developmental theories, early prevention efforts, and intervention across traditional diagnostic boundaries. Specifically, when SII is viewed through the developmental psychopathology lens, it becomes apparent that early temperamental risk factors are associated with risk for SII and a range of highly comorbid conditions, such as borderline and antisocial personality disorders. Prevention efforts focused on early-emerging biological and temperamental contributors to psychopathology have great potential to reduce risk for many presumably distinct clinical problems. Such work requires identification of early biological vulnerabilities, behaviorally conditioned social mechanisms, as well as societal inequities that contribute to self-injury and underlie intergenerational transmission of risk.

Background: Persistent engagement in antisocial behaviour across developmental periods is thought to increase the risk for early disease morbidity. However, less is known about potential adverse health outcomes among the much larger subset of individuals with antisocial behaviour limited to adolescence., Methods: Using data from the Providence, Rhode Island cohort of the Collaborative Perinatal Project, we examined the association between developmentally based subtypes of antisocial behaviour and health outcomes (n=801). Official arrest records and self-reports of engagement in antisocial behaviour were used to classify participants into antisocial groups (persistent into adulthood, adolescent-limited, no significant problems) that were contrasted across important adult health indicators., Results: With few exceptions, those with persistent antisocial behaviour had the highest prevalence of each health problem. Compared to those with no antisocial behaviour, participants with persistent problems had poorer overall health and significantly elevated odds of cardiovascular problems, wheezing, lower back pain, cancer, serious injury and emergency department visits. Those with adolescent-limited behaviour experienced significantly increased odds of health concerns including poorer overall health, hypercholesterolaemia, acute respiratory problems and wheezing, lower back pain and emergency department visits compared to participants with no antisocial behaviour. Both antisocial groups reported barriers to healthcare access., Conclusions: Findings highlight the impact of persistent antisocial behaviour on adult health, and suggest that antisocial behaviour limited to adolescence is also an important marker of poor health. Given that antisocial behaviour during adolescence is an important early marker of adverse health outcomes, youth exhibiting serious behavioural problems should be targeted for preventive interventions., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/)

Objective: Agitation, aggression, and violence are increased in psychotic disorders. Additionally, an earlier age at onset may be associated with aggressive behavior. However, the relationship of age at onset, an agitated-aggressive syndrome as measured with the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia - Excited Component (PANSS-EC), and its potential correlates in first-episode psychosis (FEP) has not been studied., Method: This study assessed the association between age at onset, an agitated-aggressive syndrome, and its potential correlates in a prospective sample of 52 FEP patients with early-onset and adult-onset followed up for 12months., Results: Twenty-six patients conformed to the criteria of early-onset psychosis. Early age at onset was associated with antisocial personality disorder (p=0.004; φc=0.39), a history of legal involvement (p=0.005; φc=0.39), and higher rates of lifetime substance use disorder (SUD; p=0.002; φc=0.42). Early-onset patients had significantly higher PANSS-EC scores over the course of observation (F(1,44.4)=5.39; p=0.025; d=0.656), but no significant group differences emerged for the remaining PANSS subscores. PANSS-EC scores were correlated positively with antisocial personality disorder and forensic history at 6weeks, 3months, 6months, and 12months, and with lifetime substance use disorder at 3months and 6months., Conclusions: Patients with early onset psychosis may have increased levels of agitation/aggressiveness, and, more likely, antisocial personality disorder, forensic history, and lifetime substance use disorder. These variables were linked to suicidality, aggressiveness, and involuntary treatment., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Psychopathology is often classified according to diagnostic categories or scale scores. These ignore potentially important information about associations between specific symptoms and, consequently, lead to heterogeneous constructs that may mask relevant individual differences. Network analyses focus on these specific symptom associations, providing the opportunity to explore the complex structure of psychopathology in more detail. We examined the empirical network structure of 95 emotional and behavioral problems of the Youth Self-Report (YSR) to explore how well this structure reflected the predefined YSR domains. The study was conducted in a large community sample (N = 2,175) of preadolescents (mean age = 11.1, SD = 0.6 years), and the network structure was determined by means of the recently developed network analysis technique, eLasso. Although problems within the same domain, in general, showed more and stronger connections than problems belonging to different domains, some problems showed substantially more or stronger associations than others; consequently, problems cannot be considered interchangeable indicators of their domain. Furthermore, no sharp boundaries were found between the domains as specific symptom pairs of different domains showed strong connections. Taken together, our findings indicate that network models provide a promising addition to the more traditional way of distinguishing diagnoses or scale scores. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).)

It is still not clear what the unique contribution of particular psychopathological factors is in explaining aggression in schizophrenia. The current study examined whether persecutory ideations, psychopathy and substance use are associated with different measures of aggressive behavior. We expected that persecutory ideations are associated with reactive aggression, and psychopathic traits are more associated with proactive aggression of inpatients. 59 inpatients with schizophrenia were included. Persecutory ideations we assessed using the Persecutory Ideation Questionnaire (PIQ), psychopathic traits with the revised version of Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI-R) and substance use was assessed using the Comprehensive Assessment of Symptoms and History (CASH). In addition, aggression was measured with the Reactive and Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ), in an experimental task using the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP) and on the ward using the Social Dysfunction and Aggression Scale (SDAS). Results showed that psychopathy explains most of the variance in self-reported proactive and reactive aggression. In contrast, persecutory ideations explain most of the variance in observed aggression on the ward. Results implicate that it is important to acknowledge comorbid factors in patients with schizophrenia for more precise risk assessment and appropriate treatment for aggressive patients with schizophrenia., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Impairment in facial emotion perception is believed to be associated with aggression. Schizophrenia patients with antisocial features are more impaired in facial emotion perception than their counterparts without these features. However, previous studies did not define the comorbidity of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) using stringent criteria. We recruited 30 participants with dual diagnoses of ASPD and schizophrenia, 30 participants with schizophrenia and 30 controls. We employed the Facial Emotional Recognition paradigm to measure facial emotion perception, and administered a battery of neurocognitive tests. The Life History of Aggression scale was used. ANOVAs and ANCOVAs were conducted to examine group differences in facial emotion perception, and control for the effect of other neurocognitive dysfunctions on facial emotion perception. Correlational analyses were conducted to examine the association between facial emotion perception and aggression. Patients with dual diagnoses performed worst in facial emotion perception among the three groups. The group differences in facial emotion perception remained significant, even after other neurocognitive impairments were controlled for. Severity of aggression was correlated with impairment in perceiving negative-valenced facial emotions in patients with dual diagnoses. Our findings support the presence of facial emotion perception impairment and its association with aggression in schizophrenia patients with comorbid ASPD., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Poor mentalizing has been described as a characteristic of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), along with the well-established role of aggressiveness. In the current study, we tested this hypothesis focusing on a specific aspect of mentalization (i.e., mindfulness)., Method: We explored the unique and joint contribution of aggression dimensions and mindfulness facets to ASPD traits in an offender sample (N=83)., Results: Mindfulness deficits were associated with ASPD traits, and a significant unique association emerged between difficulties in acting with awareness and ASPD traits. Likewise, physical aggression confirmed its association with ASPD traits. Moderation analyses revealed that mindfulness interacted with aggression in predicting ASPD. Specifically, at low levels of mindfulness, the association between aggression and ASPD dropped to nonsignificance., Conclusions: Results suggest that fostering self-mentalizing is a relevant treatment target when treating offenders with ASPD., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Prior studies have established that schizotypal personality traits (schizotypy) were associated with antisocial behavior (crime), but it is unclear what neural factors mediate this relationship. This study assessed the mediating effect that sub-regional prefrontal gray, specifically the orbitofrontal gray matter volume, has on the schizotypy-antisocial behavior relationship. Five prefrontal sub-regional (superior, middle, inferior, orbitofrontal and rectal gyral) gray matter volumes were assessed using structural magnetic resonance imaging in 90 adults from the community, together with schizotypy and antisocial behavior. Among all five prefrontal sub-regions, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) was the major region-of-interest in the present study. Mediation analyses showed that orbitofrontal gray fully mediated the association between schizotypy and antisocial behavior. After having controlled the sex, age, socio-economic statuses, whole brain volumes and substance abuse/dependence of test subjects, the orbitofrontal gray still significantly mediated the effect of schizotypy on antisocial behavior by 53.5%. These findings are the first that document a neural mediator of the schizotypy-antisocial behavior relationship. Findings also suggest that functions subserved by the OFC, including impulse control and inhibition, emotion processing and decision-making, may contribute to the above comorbidity.

Psychopathy and metacognitive difficulties have been associated with the occurrence of violence in schizophrenia. However, evidence suggests that nonschizophrenic psychopaths match or even outperform healthy controls on tests of metacognition. We hypothesize that the metacognitive difficulties associated with schizophrenia may be ameliorated by comorbid psychopathy. To this end, metacognition (using the Metacognition Assessment Scale-Abbreviated [MAS-A]) and psychopathy (using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised [PCL-R]) are assessed in 79 patients with schizophrenia with a history of criminal offending. Piecewise regression reveals that the association between metacognition and psychopathy changes from a negative to a positive association at a breakpoint corresponding to a score of 24 on the PCL-R. This score is within the range of the cut-off point used for the diagnosis of psychopathy in Europe, which corresponds to a score of 26 on the PCL-R. The patients scoring above 24 on the PCL-R demonstrated better overall metacognitive abilities, suggesting that these patients constitute a specific group in which schizophrenia has an attenuated impairing effect on metacognition. However, this effect was absent for the Mastery subscale of the MAS-A, which refers to the ability to use one's own mental states to solve social and psychological dilemmas. Our results suggest that the relative preservation of metacognitive abilities in schizophrenic patients with extreme levels of psychopathy may contribute to their offending behavior as it may enable them to understand how to manipulate and extort their victims. However, enhancing the Mastery domain of metacognition in these patients may attenuate this offending behavior., ((c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).)

While the fire constitutes a threat and provokes avoidance by the entire animal world, its control as lighting and maintenance is inseparable from the history of humankind. For 1% of the population that use is turned to harm, repeatedly and without objective reason, responding to the historical definition of pyromania. The profile of arsonists does not appear to be different from that of the general criminal population: alcohol abuse, nicotine, marijuana and antisocial personality do not make fire setters a special case. However positive fire experience lived in childhood, emotional avoidance and expertise in fire settings' control seems to be specific, as recidivism risk below that of the general criminal population.

Inhalant use is especially prevalent among antisocial youth and can have serious health consequences. However, the extant literature has not investigated how use of various inhalants may co-occur among incarcerated youth. This study begins to address this gap in the literature by using latent class analyses to form distinct typologies of inhalant use. Study participants were residents (N = 723) of 27 Missouri Division of Youth Services facilities. Interviews assessed psychiatric symptoms, antisocial traits, delinquency, trauma, suicidality, and substance use behaviors. The mean age of the mostly male, ethnically diverse sample was 15.5 (S.D. = 1.2) years old. The study revealed the following classes of inhalant use: (1) severe polyinhalant use; (2) moderate polyinhalant use; (3) gas and permanent marker use; and (4) low-use. Compared to the low-use class, members of the severe polyinhalant use class had experienced more than double the rate of head injuries, the highest rates of traumatic experiences, and the highest rates of mental illness diagnoses. The gas and markers class had the highest rate of reporting hearing voices, followed by the severe polyinhalant use class, and the moderate polyinhalant use class. Results of this study underscore the need to address the high rate of head injuries and mental health diagnoses that contribute to severe polyinhalant use.

This study examined the associations among posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity, antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) diagnosis, and intimate partner violence (IPV) in a sample of 145 substance abuse treatment-seeking men and women with positive trauma histories; sex was examined as a moderator. ASPD diagnosis significantly predicted both verbal and physical aggression; sex moderated the association between ASPD diagnosis and physical violence. PTSD symptom severity significantly predicted engaging in verbal, but not physical, aggression. Overall, these results suggest that an ASPD diagnosis may be an important risk factor for engaging in IPV among women seeking treatment for a substance use disorder., (© The Author(s) 2015.)

Introduction: Several studies have pointed to high rates of substance use disorders among female prisoners. The present study aimed to assess comorbidities of substance use disorders with other mental disorders in female prisoners at admission to a penal justice system., Methods: A sample of 150 female prisoners, consecutively admitted to the penal justice system of Berlin, Germany, was interviewed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). The presence of borderline personality disorder was assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview II for DSM-IV. Prevalence rates and comorbidities were calculated as percentage values and 95% confidence intervals (CIs)., Results: Ninety-three prisoners (62%; 95% CI: 54-70) had substance use disorders; n=49 (33%; 95% CI: 24-42) had alcohol abuse/dependence; n=76 (51%; 95% CI: 43-59) had illicit drug abuse/dependence; and n=53 (35%; 95% CI: 28-44) had opiate use disorders. In the group of inmates with substance use disorders, 84 (90%) had at least one other mental disorder; n=63 (68%) had comorbid affective disorders; n=45 (49%) had borderline or antisocial personality disorders; and n=41 (44%) had comorbid anxiety disorders., Conclusions: Female prisoners with addiction have high rates of comorbid mental disorders at admission to the penal justice system, ranging from affective to personality and anxiety disorders. Generic and robust interventions that can address different comorbid mental health problems in a flexible manner may be required to tackle widespread addiction and improve mental health of female prisoners., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)