Individuals with greater degrees of psychopathic tendencies will attack their companions than non-psychopaths. They’re also more likely to consume and even abuse alcohol, a new study suggests.
The research, initiated at UBC University, decided to look at police reports and similar information concerning 870 students at the University, along with 700 US city psychiatric patients in Kelowna, BC, according to PsyPost.
Walsh’s research study ran in association with Okano of McGill College and Langille of UBC and was published online in the journal Law and Individual Behavior.
“In this research, we noted that having higher levels of psychopathic personality traits is an important predictor of how likely someone is to engage in intimate partner violence,” said Zach Walsh, the study’s lead investigator.
The study also stated: “Psychopathy is also associated with alcohol use, a prominent risk factor for IPV. This pattern of interrelationship raises the possibility that psychopathy might mediate the relationship between alcohol use and IPV.”
Researchers believe that with this study, it may help companies and policy makers forecast and potentially reduce attempts at assault and battery, conducted as a result of the personality disorder psychopathy. Additionally, researchers found a pattern of physical aggression and psychopathic personality characteristics in both students and psychiatric patients.
“Future research that examines IPV risk should consider the potential role of psychopathy, particularly when investigating risk associated with alcohol use,” the study concluded.
