Assessing the Relationship Among Childhood Maltreatment, Personality Dysfunction, and Externalizing Behavior

Research has sought to understand the relationship among childhood maltreatment, maladaptive personality, and antisocial behaviors. However, most of the literature overlooks possible gender differences by using primarily male samples. The current study examined these relationships, focusing on the mediating role of personality dysfunction, in samples of women who are incarcerated (N = 200) and undergraduate students (N = 187). Correlations revealed moderate to strong associations among childhood trauma, personality psychopathology, and antisocial behavior (rs = .31-.66). The findings demonstrated a mediation pathway from childhood trauma to BPD (β = .37) and ASPD/psychopathy (βs = .25-.34) to antisocial behavior (βs = .35-.67). This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the associations among childhood trauma, personality psychopathology, and antisocial behavior. Additionally, it expands existing research by presenting a mediation model, demonstrating the role of personality dysfunction in mediating the relationship between childhood maltreatment and antisocial behavior in women.