Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Sandra Caramela-Miller

Abstract

Psychopathy is associated with serious criminal behavior, behavioral control issues, and recidivism among juvenile offenders. The identification of risk factors associated with psychopathic behavior is critical for treatment and intervention planning. Childhood trauma and delinquent peer associations are important psychosocial risk factors to consider for juvenile offenders. Research on the relationships between affective psychopathic traits and risk factors is extensive. There is a significant lack of literature concerning antisocial psychopathic traits. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between psychosocial risk factors and Psychopathy Checklist -Youth Version antisocial traits. The integrated psychosocial model of criminal social identity was used to explain the relationships between the study variables. The research questions and hypotheses were devised to evaluate the predictive ability of each psychosocial risk factor. Archival data from the Pathways to Desistance study were analyzed. A quantitative research design using ordinal logistic regression was used to assess the predictive ability of childhood trauma and gang involvement for antisocial psychopathic traits among serious juvenile offenders. Maternal warmth, parental hostility, exposure to violence, and gang involvement were statistically significant predictors of antisocial psychopathic traits among the study sample. Trauma and delinquent peer associations are critical to the understanding of antisocial psychopathic behavior among serious juvenile offenders. The social change implications may include enhanced forensic assessment procedures, improved treatment modalities for juvenile offenders with psychopathic tendencies, and community-based intervention programs to help at-risk youth.

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