Emotional Processing in Incarcerated Men and Women: Associations with Psychopathic Traits

Psychopathy is characterized by callousness, manipulativeness and antisocial behavior and has been linked to impairments in emotional processing. Prior research suggests that psychopathic traits may manifest differently in men and women. However, few studies have compared incarcerated men and women on psychopathy and emotional processing. The present study examined the association between psychopathic traits and emotional processing in incarcerated men and women, with a particular focus on potential sex differences. The sample consisted of 144 male and 113 female individuals in Portuguese prisons. Data were collected using the Self-Report Psychopathy-Short Form (SRP-SF) and the Emotional Processing Scale-25 (EPS-25). Results indicated that men reported higher levels of psychopathic traits, particularly in the lifestyle and antisocial dimensions. Women reported greater difficulties in specific aspects of emotional processing, including unprocessed emotions, avoidance, and impoverished emotional expression, although no differences were found in overall emotional processing. Psychopathic traits were positively associated with emotional processing difficulties, with the strongest associations observed for the affective and interpersonal facets. Emotional controllability emerged as the dimension most consistently associated with psychopathy. Regression analyses revealed no evidence that sex moderated the association between psychopathic traits and emotional processing. These findings provide preliminary indicators that psychopathic traits may be associated with emotional processing difficulties in incarcerated individuals and that sex did not significantly moderate these associations in the present sample. The results also support a dimensional, facet-based perspective on emotional dysfunction in psychopathy, although these conclusions should be interpreted with appropriate caution.