title: Relationships between dimensional factors of psychopathy and schizotypy.
abstract: Existing research has suggested that comorbid psychopathy may explain one trajectory of violent behavior in a subset of individuals with schizophrenia. However, it remains unclear which specific traits and symptoms are responsible for this relationship and whether it is limited to clinical and/or forensic categories, or if it reflects a dimensional relationship found in the general population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine differential relationships between specific factors of psychopathy and schizotypy in a non-psychiatric and non-forensic sample. Two hundred and twelve undergraduate students (50% female) completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R). After controlling for age and sex, regressions showed that the total SPQ score was positively related to the total PPI-R score and the Self-Centered Impulsivity factor, and negatively related to the Fearless Dominance factor. Self-Centered Impulsivity was positively related to all three SPQ factor scores, with the strongest relationship found with the Cognitive-Perceptual factor. In contrast, Fearless Dominance was negatively related to only the Interpersonal and Disorganized factors of the SPQ, with the strongest relationship found with the Interpersonal factor. Findings suggest that the comorbidity of schizotypy and the self-centered impulsivity aspect of psychopathy is not limited to extreme discrete populations, but exists in a more dimensional manner within a non-psychiatric sample. In addition, it appears that schizotypy is negatively related to the fearless dominance aspect of psychopathy, which appears to be a novel finding. Results provide preliminary findings that may have implications for developing appropriate prediction, assessment, and treatment techniques for violent behavior in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida Orlando, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Katie A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Ragsdale
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bedwell
keywords: fearless dominance; psychopathy; schizophrenia; schizotypy; self-centered impulsivity
references.citation: Personal Disord. 2013 Jan;4(1):67-76
references.pmid: 23355982
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 2010 Jan 30;175(1-2):22-6
references.pmid: 19959242
references.citation: Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1996 Jun;53(6):489-96
references.pmid: 8639031
references.citation: Int J Clin Pract. 2008 Aug;62(8):1237-45
references.pmid: 18564202
references.citation: J Psychiatr Res. 2013 Apr;47(4):542-7
references.pmid: 23369336
references.citation: PLoS Med. 2009 Aug;6(8):e1000120
references.pmid: 19668362
references.citation: Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2006;2:291-326
references.pmid: 17716072
references.citation: Schizophr Bull. 1991;17(4):555-64
references.pmid: 1805349
references.citation: Int J Law Psychiatry. 2003 May-Jun;26(3):223-42
references.pmid: 12689623
references.citation: Psychol Assess. 2003 Sep;15(3):340-50
references.pmid: 14593834
references.citation: Neurosci Lett. 2011 May 20;495(3):216-20
references.pmid: 21457757
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 2010 Apr 30;176(2-3):150-4
references.pmid: 20219252
references.citation: Schizophr Res. 2012 Apr;136(1-3):116-21
references.pmid: 22018940
references.citation: Clin Psychol Rev. 2011 Jul;31(5):711-26
references.pmid: 21497585
references.citation: Schizophr Res. 2006 Jan 31;81(2-3):277-81
references.pmid: 16253479
references.citation: Hosp Community Psychiatry. 1990 Jul;41(7):761-70
references.pmid: 2142118
references.citation: Biol Psychiatry. 1996 Nov 1;40(9):853-8
references.pmid: 8896771
references.citation: Br J Psychiatry. 2008 Sep;193(3):247-53
references.pmid: 18757987
references.citation: Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2013 Oct;128(4):306-13
references.pmid: 23379839
references.citation: Addict Behav. 2006 Oct;31(10):1797-805
references.pmid: 16457960
references.citation: Assessment. 2010 Jun;17(2):206-19
references.pmid: 19915197
references.citation: Schizophr Bull. 2004;30(2):317-25
references.pmid: 15279049
references.citation: Assessment. 2010 Sep;17(3):334-46
references.pmid: 20040727
references.citation: Int J Law Psychiatry. 1996 Winter;19(1):27-37
references.pmid: 8929657
references.citation: Compr Psychiatry. 1986 Mar-Apr;27(2):131-48
references.pmid: 3514114
references.citation: Schizophr Bull. 2011 Sep;37(5):937-45
references.pmid: 21795613
references.citation: Law Hum Behav. 2000 Feb;24(1):45-58
references.pmid: 10693318
references.citation: Psychiatr Serv. 1999 Jun;50(6):787-92
references.pmid: 10375148
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 2006 Aug 30;143(2-3):205-11
references.pmid: 16879872