Behind the psychopathic illusion of «health invulnerability»: assessing psychopathy and health in the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development (CSDD)

Abstract

Psychopathy is one of the most studied constructs in criminological and clinical psychology; it is a personality disorder that affects many areas of life and has far-reaching consequences for society and those within it. The present study analysed data from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development (CSDD) by examining
the relationship between psychopathy, as measured by the PCL:SV, and physical health, mental health, hospitalisations, disabling medical conditions and premature mortality among CSDD males. These conditions and events were measured using self-report and GP medical records. The results suggest that psychopathy alone is not the main determinant of poor health outcomes or premature mortality, at least according to self-reported records. The CSDD males who were high on psychopathic traits were also those who engaged in antisocial lifestyles (e.g., heavy drinking, fighting after drinking, smoking, sexual promiscuity), which is not per se a sign of poor health; on the contrary, it may be a sign of physical strength and energy in adolescence and early adulthood. Some interesting differences emerged between self-reported and GP-reported mental health: the CSDD males were less likely to report their problematic mental health conditions compared to the more accurate GP
reports. Due to the various forms of impairment that psychopathy can cause in a person’s life and in society, further research into psychopathy in community samples is certainly needed.