Summary by Taffy Chan and the North American Research Committee
Highlights
- The relationship between psychopathy and committing (and re-committing or recidivism of) intimate partner violence was studied among a group of male offenders in Portugal.
- Criminal history factors (for example, number of prior periods of imprisonment) may be even more useful than psychopathy traits for predicting the recidivism of general crime and intimate partner violence among male offenders.
- Understanding factors that can predict the likelihood of recidivism of intimate partner violence among male offenders is essential, so that appropriate assessment and helpful support services for survivors of intimate partner violence can be developed.
Background:
Intimate partner violence includes physical violence, sexual violence, and psychological abuse within intimate relationships (Krug et al., 2002). Due to its harmful impact on victims/survivors and society, researchers have studied factors that contribute to intimate partner violence. Higher rates of intimate partner violence have been linked to psychopathic traits, especially in males.
The link between higher levels of psychopathic traits and intimate partner violence is expected as individuals with these traits tend to engage in criminal behaviors earlier in life and commit more serious crimes. They may also be more prone to other mental health disorders (e.g., borderline personality disorder) and substance abuse.
Higher rates of psychopathic traits in males are linked to more frequent and severe intimate partner violence. However, research is mixed as to whether these traits lead to higher recidivism of this violence (i.e., engaging in intimate partner violence after treatment or release from imprisonment). It is possible this inconsistency is a consequence of measuring psychopathy as a single construct rather than measuring its multiple facets. Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 2003) identifies four facets of psychopathy: interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and antisocial. In some studies, the affective facet has been the facet most strongly related to intimate partner violence recidivism (Cunha et al., 2021), whereas Theobald and colleagues (2015) found that the lifestyle facet best predicted intimate partner violence recidivism among males in the United Kingdom.
Why was the study done?
Although there is growing support that psychopathic traits among male offenders are linked to committing intimate partner violence and, sometimes, recidivism of this violence, there is limited work that has investigated how the specific facets of psychopathy are related to intimate partner violence within intimate romantic relationships. Also, most of the prior studies examining this relationship have been done in North America. As such, researchers wanted to examine the possibility that the relationships might be different in different cultures, including Portugal.
How was the study done?
Participants in the study were 279 males in Portugal who had been convicted of intimate partner violence. Of the 279 participants:
- 141 males were currently in correctional facilities, and the remaining 138 were in the community
- The average age was 44.3 years
- 3% were married or living together/cohabiting with the victim/survivor
- The majority (72.8%) had not been convicted of a homicide-related offense
- 6% were first-time intimate partner violence offenders; 44.4% were repeat offenders
- 3% had no history of juvenile delinquency
Participants completed questionnaires on the frequency of their acts of intimate partner violence, demographics, and criminal history, including past incarcerations and crime severity related to intimate partner violence. They were also assessed for psychopathic traits using the PCL-R (Hare, 2003), and were given ratings on each psychopathy facet as well as a total score. Using official records participants were classified either as repeat general offenders (any prior conviction) or as first-time general offenders (no prior convictions). In addition, participants were also classified as first-time intimate partner violence offenders (no prior convictions for intimate partner violence) or repeat intimate partner violence offenders (any prior intimate partner violence conviction).
What did the researchers find?
Researchers found that repeat general offenders had higher total psychopathy scores, particularly on the affective, lifestyle, and antisocial facets, compared with the first-time general offenders. However, there were no meaningful differences in psychopathic total or facet scores between repeat intimate partner violence offenders and first-time intimate partner violence offenders.
Researchers ran statistical models to identify factors that would increase the likelihood of being in the general and intimate partner violence repeat offending groups. Factors examined included number of previous periods of imprisonments, having a history of juvenile delinquency, and total and facet PCL-R scores. The researchers found that several factors predicted a pattern of repeat general offending, including the number of previous periods of imprisonment, a history of juvenile delinquency, PCL-R total scores, and the antisocial facet score. In a separate regression examining intimate partner violence reoffending, the PCL-R antisocial facet and the number of previous periods of imprisonments were predictive. In both these analyses the criminal history variables were more useful than psychopathy traits for predicting general and intimate partner violence repeat offending.
What are the implications?
Overall, this study highlights the importance of criminal history factors, such as previous number of imprisonments and juvenile delinquency, as well as the antisocial facet of the PCL-R, being important factors for identifying offenders who commit crimes repeatedly and offenders who engage in repeated intimate partner violence. These results are not surprising given that ratings on the antisocial facet are impacted by prior exposure to the criminal justice system. Of note, Portuguese offenders have lower PCL-R scores compared to North American samples, and it is possible the findings of this study may reflect how psychopathy traits are expressed in Portugal.
From this study, researchers have gained a better understanding of the relationship between psychopathy traits and intimate partner violence recidivism among a sample of male offenders. The findings from this may help policymakers and mental health professionals improve social support services for victims and survivors of intimate partner violence. Specifically, factors that may indicate an increased risk for intimate partner violence recidivism among perpetrators should be included when assessing the level of risk of victims/survivors, as well as in formulating treatment recommendations.
The Study
Cunha, O., Pinheiro, M., & Gonçalves, R. A. (2022). Intimate partner violence, psychopathy, and recidivism: Do psychopathic traits differentiate first-time offenders from repeated offenders?. Victims & Offenders, 17(2), 199-218.
Other references cited
Cunha, O., Braga, T., & Gonçalves, R. A. (2021). Psychopathy and intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(3-4).
Hare, R. D. (2003). Psychopathy Checklist—Revised. Multi-Health Systems.
Krug, E. G., Dahlberg, L . L., Mercy, J. A., Ziwi, A. B. & Lozano, R. (2003). World report on violence and health. World Health Organization.
Theobald, D., Farrington, D. P., Coid, J. W., & Piquero, A. R. (2016). Are male perpetrators of intimate partner violence different from convicted violent offenders? Examination of psychopathic traits and life success in males from a community survey. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 31(9), 1687-1718.
