Psychopathy and self-injurious thoughts and behaviour: application of latent class analysis.
BACKGROUND
Although early conceptualisations posited an inverse relationship between psychopathy and self-injury, little research has tested this.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the self-injurious thoughts and behaviours associated with psychopathy.


METHODS
Data from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Project (N = 871) were used to examine homogenous subtypes of participants based on their responses to six self-injury items. A binary logistic regression model was used to interpret the nature of the latent classes by estimating the associations with the four psychopathy factors, mixed anxiety-depression, violence victimisation, and gender.


RESULTS
A 2-class solution provided the best fit to the data. Most participants (86.2%) were assigned to the baseline ("low self-injury risk") group. "The high-risk self-injury group" was characterised by a higher probability of endorsing all self-injury items, particularly "thoughts of hurting self" and "attempts to hurt self". The four psychopathy factors showed differential associations with self-injury group membership. Participant's scorings, higher on the affective component and lower on interpersonal component of psychopathy, were significantly more likely to be assigned to the high risk group. Significant associations were also found between mixed anxiety/depression and gender, and "high-risk self-injury group" membership.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings have important implications for the identification of individuals at risk of self-injury.
The Business School and.
Katie
K
Dhingra
Daniel
D
Boduszek
Derrol
D
Palmer
Mark
M
Shevlin
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013850:Thinking; D055815:Young Adult
Latent class analysis; psychopathy; self-injurious behaviour; self-injury; suicide