Childhood traumatic experiences and psychopathy: A comprehensive review - PubMed

Objective: 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.

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

Results: 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.

Conclusions: 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).