Exploring the link between personality disorder and criminality in a community sample

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Forensic Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Personality disorders (PD) are prevalent mental health conditions.
• Understanding specific PD combinations is crucial for forensic and clinical assessments.
• Antisocial and borderline personality disorders (APD/BPD) represent a significant clinical and forensic concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify personality and criminal history features associated with combined APD/BPD in community residents.
• To explore the relationship between higher-order personality factors and forensic history.
• To determine the prevalence of APD/BPD in community versus forensic samples.

Main Methods:

• Factor analysis of the International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE) item scores.
• Regression analysis to identify correlates of higher-order personality factors.
• Sample of 224 community residents with DSM-diagnosed personality disorders.

Main Results:

• Individuals with APD/BPD had higher rates of violence convictions and custodial sentences.
• APD/BPD was associated with increased trait anger, impulsivity, and aggression history.
• A higher-order 'psychopathy' factor was significantly associated with APD/BPD.
• Anankastic traits showed an inverse relationship with criminal history variables.

Conclusions:

• APD/BPD is a particularly criminogenic combination of traits.
• This PD blend is likely overrepresented in high-secure forensic populations.
• APD/BPD may be underrepresented in general community PD samples.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms linking PDs and criminality.