Concurrent and predictive validity of psychopathy in a batterers' intervention sample

Domestic violence is a serious problem in the United States, with almost two million incidents occurring every year. Although several risk factors have been identified, psychopathy has been understudied in this area. The current study investigated the association between psychopathy and successful treatment completion and reoffending in 483 convicted male batterers undergoing treatment. Findings showed that both overall psychopathy and the specific facet of impulsive antisociality were positively associated with treatment failure and recidivism at 1-year follow-up. Furthermore, results also indicated that the psychopathy facet of fearless dominance positively moderated the association between impulsive antisociality and treatment failure. Thus, individuals high on fearless dominance are bold and narcissistic, and reject the notion that they need treatment, and when coupled with impulsive antisociality, this combination of traits increases the likelihood of treatment failure. In addition, relative risk-ratio analyses indicated that individuals with elevated scores on global psychopathy and impulsive antisociality were at a greater risk for treatment failure and recidivism.