There are differences between men and women with psychopathic personality traits regarding sub-types of psychopathy, criminality, aggression and victimization

Sammanfattning: Psychopathy is found in incarcerated populations and in the general population, among men and women. This study investigated if there were any gender differences between men and women with heightened levels of psychopathic traits regarding psychopathy factor scores, criminality, aggression and victimization. A randomized sample of 2500 mixed-sex (52.6 % women) participants (M=22.15; SD=1.38) from the general population, aged 20-24, was used. Results showed that women with psychopathic personality traits had significantly higher behavioral tendencies (e.g., impulsivity) on psychopathy than men with psychopathic personality traits. Men scored higher on violent criminal offences and criminal versatility and men and women differed in aggressive behavior and victimization. Gender differences in psychopathy features may create different needs for treatment.