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Explanatory Risk Factors for Psychopathic Symptoms in Men and Women: Results from Generation 3 of the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development

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Abstract

Risk factors are central to the understanding and prediction of psychopathology. The current study focuses on risk factors for psychopathic personality and psychopathic behaviour by investigating the following: (1) Early risk factors for later psychopathic personality and psychopathic behaviour in men and women, and (2) Independently predictive risk factors for later psychopathic personality and psychopathic behaviour in men and women. The study analyses data from the third generation (Generation 3; “G3) of the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development (CSDD). The G3 consists of both men (N = 291) and women (N = 260), and the results indicate that there are clear similarities in explanatory risk factors (e.g., risk taking and poor supervision) between men and women. There are however some important differences as it seems that attachment and socialisation factors are more important for women, and early school leaving is more important for men. Implications for early interventions are discussed.

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Notes

  1. Please note that there are some disagreements about the factor structure of psychopathy (e.g., Cooke & Michie, 2001; Cooke et al., 2004; Skeem & Cooke, 2010).

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Acknowledgements

For funding the CSDD, we are very grateful to the Home Office, the Department of Health, the Department for Education, the Rayne Foundation, the Barrow Cadbury Trust, and the Smith-Richardson Foundation. For carrying out criminal record searches, we are very grateful to Gwen Gundry in the 1960s and 1970s, Lynda Morley in the 1980s, Sandra Lambert in the 1990s, Debbie Wilson in the 2000s, Owen Thomas in 2011-12 and Lisa Robinson in 2017.

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  1. Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    David P. Farrington

  2. School of Psychology, University of Derby, Kedleston Road, Derby, DE22 1GB, UK

    Henriette Bergstrøm

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Farrington, D.P., Bergstrøm, H. Explanatory Risk Factors for Psychopathic Symptoms in Men and Women: Results from Generation 3 of the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development. J Dev Life Course Criminology 9, 353–378 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40865-023-00229-y

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