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Inverse Correlation between Severity of Psychopathic Traits and Serum Cortisol Levels in Young Adult Violent Male Offenders
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Holi, Matti Mikael Auvinen-Lintunen, Laura Lindberg, Nina Tani, Pekka Virkkunen, Matti |
| Copyright Year | 2006 |
| Abstract | The aim of the present study was to fi nd out if there is an association between the severity of psychopathic traits and S cortisol levels in young adult violent male offenders. We recruited 20 healthy, detoxifi ed, medication-free adolescent and young adult (age range 16–22 years, mean 18.9, SD 1.77) male offenders with a history of violent acts. They were charged with either murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, attempted manslaughter or assault, and were recruited from a pre-trial forensic psychiatric examination lasting approximately 2 months. None of the participants had an acute mood disorder, psychosis or organic brain syndrome. All of the participants fulfi lled criteria for antisocial personality disorder. Psychopathy was assessed using the 20-item Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), a semi-structured interview, which includes also a review of fi le information. Each item is rated on a 3-point scale, with a total score of the scale ranging from 0 to 40. The PCL-R reportedly consists of two factors; factor 1 taps affective-interpersonal features and factor 2 socially deviant lifestyle and behaviors [1] . The PCL-R rating was based on the consensus of a team of a forensic psychiatrist, a social worker and a clinically experienced psychologist. The internal consistency of the PCL-R was checked by calculating Cronbach's coeffi Psychopathy is a clinical construct traditionally defi ned by a constellation of interpersonal and affective characteristics that are associated with a socially deviant lifestyle [1] . Criminal psychopaths typically begin their antisocial and criminal activities at a relatively early age, and continue throughout much of their lives [2] . The neurobiological correlates of criminal psychopathy are relatively unknown. Psychopathy has been associated with low level of both autonomic and cortical arousal [3] . Psychopaths are reported to be under-reactive to stressful, exciting or frightening stimuli and insensitive to several types of fear and punishment contingencies [4] . The limbic system, the neural basis for emotions and social interactions [5] , infl uences functions of both the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland [6] . Many kinds of psychological stress have been shown to affect the level of pituitary-adrenal activity [7] . The HPA axis meets the demands of stress primarily through the synthesis and/or release of corticotropin-releasing hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol [7] . These HPA axis hormones may refl ect alterations of the limbic system functioning in individuals with criminal psychopathy. More specifi cally, the degree of psychopathic tendencies might be refl ected in serum (S) cortisol levels as a sign of reactivity to stress in forensic population. Published online: January 17, 2006 |
| Starting Page | 102 |
| Ending Page | 104 |
| Page Count | 3 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| DOI | 10.1159/000091021 |
| PubMed reference number | 16424682 |
| Journal | Medline |
| Volume Number | 39 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://www.safetylit.org/citations/ild_request_form.php?article_id=citjournalarticle_116283_20 |
| Journal | Psychopathology |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
