Childhood Polyvictimization and Psychopathic Personality Traits in Emerging Adults

Abstract

Current research suggests a link between childhood abuse, psychopathic traits, and violent behavior. However, previous studies neglect evaluating the influence of high levels of cumulative childhood victimization on the development of psychopathic personality traits in emerging adults. The present study examined the relationship between polyvictimization in six aggregate categories of childhood victimization using the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ-R2) and psychopathic personality traits in college women using the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R). This study first examined the relative contributions of polyvictimization and individual categories of childhood victimization in predicting psychopathic traits, and then tested whether polyvictimization contributes any unique variance, beyond that explained by the combination of all 6 aggregate categories in a sample of 309 college women in a Southern state. Regression analyses reveal that (1) polyvictimization accounts for a significant proportion of variability in PPI-R scores, beyond that explained by any of the six categories of childhood victimization alone, (2) the categories of childhood victimization contribute little to no variability beyond that explained by polyvictimization, and (3) polyvictimization accounts for a significant proportion of variability in psychopathic personality traits, beyond that already explained by the simultaneous entry of all six categories as predictor variables. It results in further understanding of the underpinnings of psychopathic personality traits.