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Some behavioural overlap exists between psychopathic tendencies and autistic traits, and both phenotypes are thought to be associated with problems in empathy. However, the broad behavioural profiles and the cognitive-affective deficits associated with the two conditions are at least partly separable. The main aim of this study was to assess the extent to which the aetiology of psychopathic tendencies is independent of autistic traits. A secondary aim was to study the aetiology of emotion attribution ability and its association with psychopathic tendencies and autistic traits. Based on data from a sample of 642 twin pairs, the genetic and nonshared environmental influences related to psychopathic tendencies were largely unique to each phenotype. Common environmental influences between psychopathic tendencies and autistic traits overlapped. Poorer emotion attribution ability was associated with increased psychopathic tendencies and autistic traits, and these associations were mainly explained by common genetic factors. Keywords: psychopathy; autism; empathy; twins; genetics

This article investigates personality disorders in children and discusses its social and genetic origins. Topics include criminality, psychopathology, and comorbidity.

Objective: This study investigated the progression from conduct disorder to antisocial personality disorder among individuals treated for adolescent substance abuse. This issue is important because of the poor outcomes observed among individuals with antisocial pathology after treatment for alcohol and drug problems. The utility of factors assessed at the time of treatment in predicting progression to adult antisocial personality disorder was evaluated in the context of developmental models of antisocial behavior. Method: This was a prospective longitudinal study of 137 substance-abusing adolescents (53 female and 84 male), whose average age was 15.9 years and who met the DSM-III-R criteria for conduct disorder. Consecutively admitted patients were recruited from two adolescent inpatient alcohol and drug treatment facilities. Participants were interviewed again 4 years after treatment. Results: Four years after treatment, 61% of the study group met the DSM-III-R criteria for antisocial personality disorder. Results of a logistic regression analysis indicated that onset of deviant behavior at or before age 10, a greater diversity of deviant behavior, and more extensive pretreatment drug use best predicted progression to antisocial personality disorder. At 4-year follow-up, the subjects with an antisocial personality disorder diagnosis exhibited more involvement with alcohol and drugs and poorer functioning across important life domains than the subjects without antisocial personality disorder. Conclusions: This study found a high rate of progression to antisocial personality disorder among substance-abusing adolescents and identified factors predictive of this progression. Careful assessment of conduct disorder history at the time of treatment may be valuable for treatment planning and intervention.

Objective: The authors' goal in this study was to examine the extent to which having been abused and/or neglected in childhood raises a person's risk for having an adult DSM-III-R diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. Method: Children who had experienced substantiated child abuse and/or neglect from 1967 to 1971 in a Midwestern metropolitan county area were matched on the basis of age, race, sex, and approximate family social class with a group of nonabused and nonneglected children and followed prospectively into young adulthood. Subjects were located and participated in a 2-hour interview consisting of a series of structured and semistructured questions, rating scales, and a psychiatric assessment using the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Interviews were completed with 699 young adult subjects (416 abused and/or neglected and 283 comparison subjects). Results: Childhood victimization was a significant predictor of the number of lifetime symptoms of antisocial personality disorder and of a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, despite the fact that controls for demographic characteristics and arrest history were introduced. Conclusions: These findings suggest the importance of inquiring about a patient's childhood history of abuse and/or neglect when antisocial symptoms are evident. In addition to speculation about a possible saturation model for the consequences of childhood victimization, these findings also reinforce a multiple causation model of antisocial personality disorder.

It is currently believed that factors that may increase the likelihood of developing antisocial behavior are child abuse and having an alcoholic parent. These factors are considered to be independent of each other, but may also be interactive in their effect on behavioral development. Previous studies have concentrated upon the effect of either parental alcoholism or parental abuse, but have not fully explored the interactive repercussions of these two influences. A prospective study was conducted on 131 men with alcoholic fathers and 70 men without alcoholic fathers who were used as controls. Each subject was evaluated for antisocial behavior in an extensive interview and six antisocial variables were considered. Apprehension by the authorities for criminal offenses was also noted for each subject; this was obtained by screening the police register. Results indicated that there was a slight increase in the incidence of abuse among the sons of alcoholics than in the comparison group. However, this was not statistically significant, which suggests that physical abuse and parental alcoholism are independent factors. Childhood physical abuse by a parent was found to be predictive of five of the six antisocial variables. However, having an alcoholic parent was not predictive of any of the six variables. Those who were physically abused as children were more likely to have been physically violent, to threaten others with violence, and to act out on aggressive impulses; they were less inclined to verbally express disagreement. The two groups were not distinguished by frequency of arrests. No evidence for the interaction of child abuse and parental alcoholism resulting in an increased risk for antisocial behavior was found. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Fancy a game of cards before dinner? Psychopathy seems to be caused by specific mental deficiencies WHAT makes people psychopaths is not an idle question. Prisons are packed with them. [...]