Adolescents with Elevated Psychopathic Traits are Associated with an Increased Risk for Premature Mortality

Area of Science:

• Forensic Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Adolescent mortality rates are rising, with externalizing psychopathology linked to increased risk.
• Previous research identified attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), substance use disorders (SUDs), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD) as risk factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between adolescent psychopathic traits and premature mortality risk.
• To assess if psychopathic traits, beyond externalizing disorders, predict mortality in incarcerated adolescents.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study of 332 maximum-security incarcerated adolescents followed for 10-14 years.
• Psychopathic traits assessed using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV).
• Mortality risk analyzed using Fisher's exact tests and Cox proportional hazard regression.

Main Results:

• A 9.94% premature mortality rate was observed, nearly ten times the population norm.
• Higher PCL:YV total scores were significantly associated with higher rates of premature mortality.
• PCL:YV total, Factor 2, Facet 1, and Facet 3 scores predicted faster time to premature mortality.

Conclusions:

• Adolescent psychopathic traits are a significant predictor of premature mortality in incarcerated youth.
• Externalizing psychopathology (ADHD, SUDs, ODD, CD) did not show a significant association with premature mortality in this sample.
• Psychopathic traits represent crucial maladaptive personality factors to consider for premature mortality risk assessment in high-risk adolescent populations.