Antisocial personalities among maximum security prisoners

Abstract

English: The longstanding elevated violent crime rate in South Africa urges research attention beyond the mere incidence of reported offences and environmental contributors to crime. Psychological factors require similar attention. Internationally, antisocial personality disorder, psychopathy and dissocial personality disorder, collectively known as antisocial personalities, have been strongly associated with criminality, and particularly violent crime. However, very little research focus has been awarded to these constructs in the developing world. To explore antisocial personalities in the South African context, a research project was launched, which will be discussed through five related, yet independent research articles. The research sample consisted of 500 male maximum security offenders from the Mangaung Correctional Centre situated near Bloemfontein. The first study focused on determining to which extent psychopathy is similar in construct in a developing country as in the Western world. Several studies have reaffirmed the construct validity of psychopathy among industrialised nations, yet almost no research has included developing countries. The neglect of local mental health research has led to the application of diagnostic criteria with limited clinical and nearly no scientific consideration of cultural contributions of the South African context. To determine the construct validity of psychopathy, as measured by the revised version of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI-R), factor analyses were conducted. Several items indicated low factor loadings and were consequently omitted from further analysis. The second study aimed to identify the prevalence of the antisocial personalities among the sample of offenders. Participants were assessed with the PPI-R, and subscales representing antisocial and dissocial personality disorders from the DSM-IV and ICD-10 Personality Questionnaire (DIP-Q). Results indicated a similar incidence of psychopathy and dissocial personality disorder than international studies. However, the incidence of antisocial personality disorder is much lower than international findings. The third and fourth study aimed to identify whether individuals meeting the criteria for antisocial personalities in the South African context also present stronger relationships with known associated constructs, such as aggression and criminal thinking styles. The Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS) and the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) were incorporated for this assessment. Results largely confirmed the relationship between antisocial personalities, aggression and criminal thinking styles. The fifth study consisted of a binary logistic regression analysis to determine whether psychopathic traits and/or criminal thinking styles could predict recidivistic behaviour in the South African context. Contrary to most international studies, results indicated that none of the PICTS subscales predicted possible recidivism, while only the Social Influence subscale of the PPI-R significantly predicted group membership between first offence and re-offence. All five studies include the comparison of results with those from similar studies, a discussion on the implications of the results, the limitations of the study, and recommendations for further research.

Afrikaans: Die onrusbarende geweldsmisdaadkoers in Suid-Afrika vereis dringend dat navorsingsaandag verbreed moet word om nie hoofsaaklik te fokus op die voorkomssyfer en omgewingsinvloede van misdaad nie. Sielkundige faktore behoort dieselfde aandag te geniet. So byvoorbeeld word die antisosialepersoonlikheid-versteuring, psigopatie en dissosialepersoonlik= heid-versteuring, oftewel antisosiale persoonlikhede, internasionaal geassosieer met misdadige en veral gewelddadige gedrag. Min navorsing is egter al in die ontwikkelende lande gedoen om groter duidelikheid oor hierdie konsepte te verkry. Om die antisosiale persoonlikhede in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks te ondersoek, is ʼn navorsingsprojek geloods wat in vyf samehangende, dog individuele navorsingartikels bespreek sal word. Die steekproef het bestaan uit 500 manlike maksimumsekuriteit-oortreders vanaf die Mangaung Korrektiewe Sentrum naby Bloemfontein. Die eerste studie het ten doel gehad om te bepaal in welke mate psigopatie dieselfde konsep in ʼn ontwikkelende land as in die Westerse wêreld verteenwoordig. Verskeie studies het die konstruk geldigheid van psigopatie bevestig, alhoewel ongeveer geen studies die ontwikkelende wêreld ingesluit het nie. Die geringskatting van geestesgesondheidsnavorsing het gelei tot die toepassing van diagnostiese kriteria met kultureel-irrelevante en beperkte kliniese toepassing in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Om die konstrukgeldigheid van psigopatie in hier ter lande, soos gemeet deur die hersiene weergawe van die Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI-R), te bepaal, is faktoranalise toegepas. Verskeie items het lae faktorladings getoon en is daarvolgens uitgesluit by ander analises. Die tweede studie het beoog om die voorkomsyfer van antisosiale persoonlikhede onder die navorsingsdeelnemers te bepaal. Die persone is geassesseer met behulp van die PPI-R en subskale van die DSM-IV and ICD-10 Personality Questionnaire (DIP-Q). Resultate dui op ʼn soortgelyke voorkomsyfer van psigopatie en dissosialepersoonlikheid-versteuring as internasionale studies. Die voorkoms van antisosialepersoonlikheidversteuring is egter laer in vergelyking met internasionale bevindinge. Met die derde en vierde studies is beoog om te bepaal of individue wat aan die kriteria vir antisosiale persoonlikhede voldoen, ook geassosieer kan word met verwante konsepte soos aggressie en kriminele denkpatrone. Die Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS) en die Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) is vir hierdie doel aangewend. Die resultate bevestig grootliks die verband tussen antisosiale persoonlikhede, aggressie en kriminele denkpatrone. Die vyfde studie het bestaan uit ʼn logistiese regressie-analise om te bepaal of psigopatiese eienskappe en/of kriminele denkpatrone residivistiese gedrag kan voorspel. In teenstelling met internasionale bevindinge dui die resultate daarop dat geen van die PICTS subskale moontlike residivisme voorspel nie. Slegs een subskaal van die PPI-R wat op sosiale invloed dui, kon ʼn beduidende voorspelling maak. In al vyf studies word die resultate met ander studies vergelyk, die implikasies bespreek, beperkings van die studie aangedui en aanbevelings gemaak.