Browsing by Author "Nyman, Robert"

Objectives. The etiology of juvenile delinquency has been widely researched and several risk factors considering individual traits, parents or parenthood, and other environmental factors have been well established. There has been growing interest in the role of psychopathic traits on young offendings and recent evidence suggests that intensity of psychopathic traits enhances the risk of criminal behaviour in youth. However, the studies investigating the role of psychopathic traits as a predictor of criminal behaviour in youth are methodologically restricted and the effects of risk factors or moderating variables have not been considered comprehensively. The aims of this research were to examine the association between psychopathic traits and criminal behaviour in youth, and to study if risk factors strengthen this association. Methods. This sample consisted of 4855 Finnish students on the ninth grade of upper comprehensive school. Criminal behaviour was measured as the amount of forbidden actions conducted during the past year. Psychopathic traits were studied as a dimensional variable and it was measured with a validated self-report questionnaire for psychopathy (APSD-SR). Linear regressions were used to examine the association between psychopathic traits and juvenile delinquency. Nine different risk factors and cumulativity of risks were controlled for the analyses. Linear regression was also used to examine the moderating effects of risk factors and their cumulativity to the association between psychopathic traits and criminal behaviour. Results and conclusions. Most adolescents reported at least some psychopathic traits. The intensity of psychopathic traits, well established risk factors and the cumulativity of risk factors were all associated with greater amount of criminal behaviour. The association between psychopathic traits and criminal behaviour was enhanced by those risk factors that can be considered to provide antisocial models or opportunities for criminal behaviour. Antisocial peers were the most significant risk factor for criminal behaviour and it strongly enhanced the association between psychopathic traits and criminal behaviour. Overall, the results emphasize the importance of interventions for antisocial peer groups to prevent juvenile delinquency.