Childhood traumatic experiences and psychopathy: A comprehensive review

Psychopathy has a considerable societal cost, which motivates research on the mechanisms that cause individuals to engage and persist in antisocial behaviors. It is known that individuals with marked psychopathic traits or callous-unemotional traits typically engage in higher rates of aggressive behaviors. These traits seem to have roots both in biological and environmental factors. This article aims to clarify, through a comprehensive review of the literature, what kind of traumas experienced in childhood may contribute to the development of a psychopathic personality structure.

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review to organize such evidence.

Childhood maltreatment has been associated with a wide range of maladaptive outcomes, ranging from internalizing to externalizing symptoms. Some have suggested that this range of symptoms is largely attributable to a disruption in the usual parent-child attachment bond, which may occur in parent-child relationships characterized by emotional maltreatment. Many studies now suggest that key features of temperament, such as anger, self-regulation/self-control, and negative emotionality, can be positively influenced through prevention and treatment programs.

This comprehensive review provides information for improving our ability to treat problematic personalities and reduce the risk of future antisocial behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).