The relationship between psychopathy and autism: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Background and methods: The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise research examining the relationship between autism and psychopathy to: (a) better understand the relationship between these two constructs, and (b) describe the clinical manifestation of the two when they co-occur. A systematic search of the literature returned 36 studies. Results: Across all ages, autistic individuals and those with elevated autistic traits but no autistic diagnoses appeared to have increased callous and unemotional traits or psychopathy relative to the general population. Several studies evidenced that although both constructs are associated with empathetic dysfunction, the underlying mechanisms differ. In adults, psychopathy/psychopathic traits were associated with diminished affective empathy and intact cognitive empathy, whilst the opposite was seen autistic adults and those with elevated autistic traits. In children, those with autistic traits or a diagnosis of autism had diminished cognitive empathy, but not affective empathy, while the relationship between callous and unemotional traits/psychopathy and empathy amongst children was less clear. The co-occurrence of autism and psychopathy was seen to lead to additional empathic and cognitive impairment, but findings were mixed making it challenging to clearly describe the clinical manifestation. Conclusion: There remains a paucity of research investigating the interaction between autism and psychopathy and included studies were characterised by multiple measurement difficulties. Attention should be directed toward developing better methods for identifying psychopathic traits in autistic individuals to advance our understanding of the relationship between autism and psychopathy to allow for the development of appropriate care pathways for this population. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=413672, identifier CRD42023413672.

Understanding the dark side of personality in sex offenders considering the level of sexual violence.

This study examined the relationship between the actual level of physical violence in sexual offenses and dark triad, empathic and impulsive personality traits of their perpetrators. Sixty-four male perpetrators of sexual offenses without any serious mental illness were included. A 5-point Likert-type coding system based on Violence Profile for Current Offense was applied to assess the severity of physical violence of each sexual offense. Personality traits of dark triad (psychopathy, Machiavellianism, narcissism), trait empathy and impulsiveness were also evaluated. Multivariate analyses indicated that non-stranger victim, secondary psychopathy, narcissism and empathy could significantly predict greater involvement of physical violence in a sexual offense. In addition, empathy was negatively correlated with all dark triad traits. Sexual violence should be conceptualized in the form of a continuum, and, considering such an approach, offenders with high secondary psychopathy and narcissism may show preference for sexual assaults that are more violent in nature.

The relationship between cerebral asymmetry and measures of psychopathy in a non-clinical sample is moderated by both empathic challenge and biological sex.

This study investigated the relationship between psychopathy, as assessed by the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy (LSRP) scale, and cerebral laterality. EEG recordings from frontal cortex (L3 and L4) were taken during both resting conditions and while viewing a video of an emergency field amputation, used as an empathic challenge. The ratio of alpha power from the two recording site was taken as an index of relative activity in the two hemispheres. Eighty three students from the University subject pool were recruited as participants. Male participants had a significantly higher mean LSRP score than did female participants. While LSRP scores were unrelated to cerebral laterality under resting conditions, there was both a significant linear and quadratic negative relationship between LSRP scores and relative left-hemisphere alpha activity. As alpha activity has been reported to be inversely related to brain or mental activity, a negative relationship can be inferred between LSRP scores and right hemisphere neural activity. The female participants had a much stronger quadratic relationship than did the combined sample, while the male sample showed only weak, non-significant relationships. Our data suggest that the relationship between psychopathy and cerebral laterality may be sexually dimorphic.

Clarifying Relations Between Core Features of Psychopathy and Substance (Mis)use: A Replication and Extension in Two Large Independent Samples.

Two studies examined the consistency of associations between specific components of psychopathy and two indices of drug use: (a) abstinence and (b) severity (i.e., counts) of lifetime substance use disorder (SUD) symptoms. Participants were 418 male county jail inmates in Illinois (Study One) and 354 male state prison inmates in New Mexico (Study Two). Across samples, lifestyle and antisocial trait ratings were associated with a reduced likelihood of abstinence from most substances. Lifestyle traits were also uniquely associated with severity of substance dependence ratings. Consistent with prior research, interpersonal traits were uniquely related to cocaine indices in both samples. Furthermore, analyses revealed negative associations between the affective features of psychopathy and alcohol dependence in one sample (Study Two), and illicit substance use across samples. These findings demonstrate the robustness of the associations between the interpersonal and affective features of psychopathy and specific aspects of substance (mis)use.

Self-report psychopathy-III facet scores predict sexual crimes, sexual preferences, and sexual deviance index validity more precisely than total scores.

Understanding the profiles of sexual offenders, such as the presence of psychopathic traits, is key to preventing future sexual crimes. The self-report psychopathy-III (SRP-III) is a tool used to assess the characteristics of psychopathy, but improvements on its interpretation are required to maximize its precision. The SRP-III can be interpreted by examining the scores on each of the four facets (interpersonal manipulation, callous affect, erratic lifestyle, antisocial behavior), on each of two factors (factor 1, factor 2), or by examining the total score. Here, we investigate the interpretation of the results from the SRP-III using these three approaches of analysis of the data for predicting types of sexual crimes, sexually deviant preferences (measured via PPG), and the validity of the sexual deviance results. Logistic regressions were carried out using either the four facets, two factors, or the total score of the SRP-III. Data were previously obtained from 198 Canadian men who were convicted of, or who admitted to committing, at least one sexual crime, or who reported experiencing sexually deviant fantasies. We also examined the point-biserial correlations between each of the methods of interpreting the SRP-III results and each of the dependent variables. We find that SRP-III facet scores most precisely predict types of sexual crimes, sexually deviant preferences, and sexual deviance index validity, followed by SRP-III factor scores, and lastly SRP-III total scores. Additionally, significant correlations are only found between SRP-III scores and one dependent variable. Potential reasons for this are discussed. Based on these findings, we recommend that future studies consider facet and factor scores in addition to the standard practice of examining total scores.

Therapeutic and risk relevance of psychopathy and general criminal attitude change in an institutional sexual offense treatment program.

We examined the interrelationships between psychopathy, changes in general criminal attitudes, and community recidivism in a sample of 212 men who attended an institutional sexual offense treatment program (SOTP) and were followed for an average of 12.73 years post-release. The men completed a self-report measure of general criminal attitudes, the Criminal Sentiments Scale, as part of routine SOTP service delivery, Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) ratings were completed via file review, and recidivism data were obtained from official criminal records. Criminal attitude endorsement and criminal attitude change had clinically meaningful, but differential, associations with the antisocial and interpersonal features of psychopathy. Further, positive changes in criminal attitudes-particularly tolerance of law violations (i.e., rationalizations for criminal behavior)-were significantly predictive of reductions in community violent and general recidivism after controlling for PCL-R score. Results demonstrate that general criminal attitude change has risk relevance in the treatment of high psychopathy persons with sexual offense histories.

Psychopathic callousness and perspective taking in pain processing: an ERP study.

Psychopathy is a multifaceted personality disorder characterized by distinct affective/interpersonal traits, including callousness-unemotionality/meanness, which are often considered the hallmarks of empathic deficits. It has been posited that the processing of others' pain could play an important role in empathy capabilities. This study aimed to investigate the influence of perspective taking on electrocortical responses during pain processing in relation to psychopathic callousness. The late positive potential (LPP) -a well-established electrophysiological indicator of sustained attention to motivationally significant stimuli- was measured while 100 female undergraduates viewed images depicting bodily injuries while adopting an imagine-self or an imagine-other perspective. Callousness factor scores -computed as regression-based component scores from EFA on three relevant self-report measures of this dimension- predicted reduced LPP amplitudes to pain pictures under the imagine-other (but not imagine-self) perspective, even after controlling for other LPP conditions. This result suggests that high-callous individuals exhibit diminished brain responsiveness to others' distress, potentially contributing to the empathic deficits observed in psychopathy. This finding highlights the usefulness of the LPP and perspective taking in studies on pain processing to refine our understanding of the low empathy characteristics of psychopathy in biobehavioral terms.

[Externalizing problem behavior with friends in adolescence: What role do factors of callous-unemotional traits play?] / Externalisierendes Problemverhalten mit Freund:innen im Jugendalter: Welche Rolle spielen Faktoren der emotionalen Unbeteiligtheit?

INTRODUCTION: Affective impairments/disorders are one explanation as to why adolescents exhibit externalizing problem behavior (rule-breaking and dissocial behavior). Impaired affect is a core feature of callous-unemotional traits (CU traits). CU traits are composed of three factors: Callousness (lack of empathy and remorse), Uncaring (indifferent attitude toward task performance and the feelings of others), and Unemotional (superficial or flattened affect). Externalizing problem behaviors mostly occur in groups during adolescence. Therefore, it is important to consider the relationship between CU traits and externalizing problem behaviors that are exhibited explicitly in collaboration with or in the presence of friends. This perspective has been lacking in research on CU traits. The present study aims to fill this research gap. METHODS: Self-report data were collected between June 2021 and March 2023 from N = 169 adolescents (54% female; M = 14.95 years) using a set of questionnaires that could be completed online or as a paper-pencil version. In addition to CU traits (ICU) the set of questionnaires included assessments of rule-breaking and dissocial behavior with friends (CBCL: YSR 11-18 R). RESULTS: Only the subscale Callousness contributes to the explanation of externalizing problem behaviors with friends (6% variance explained). DISCUSSION: The results indicate that the three factors of CU-traits should be considered separately. In addition, when examining externalizing problem behavior, one should consider whether it is exhibited alone or together with or in the presence of friends. Limitations of the study, ideas for further research, and practical implications are discussed.

Arousal, Gray's theory of anxiety, and the etiology of psychopathy.

This paper focuses on Jeffrey Gray's theory of anxiety from the perspective of Fowles' (1980) application of his work to theories of arousal, psychophysiology, and the etiology of psychopathy. Although highly influential, the concept of general arousal failed to find support in terms of between-individuals assessment with multiple physiological measures. Gray's constructs of a behavioral inhibition system (BIS) that mediates anxiety, a behavioral approach or activation system (BAS) that energizes behavior to approach rewards, and a nonspecific arousal system that energizes behavior captured aspects of arousal. Fowles (1980) proposed that the BIS elicits electrodermal activity in response to threats, the BAS increases heart rate in response to reward incentive cues, and psychopathy is associated with a weak BIS. The paper reviews Gray's impact on future research on these topics, including early proposals relevant to the National Institute of Mental Health's Research Domain Criteria. Finally, the paper summarizes the evolution of theories of the etiology of psychopathy since 1980, noting ways in which aspects of Gray's theory are still seen in psychopathy research. Patrick's triarchic model has emerged as a major theory of psychopathy. Beauchaine's trait impulsivity theory of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder also is relevant.

Primary and Secondary Variants of Callous-Unemotional Traits in Community Youths: Differences in Anticipatory Fear.

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits refer to a cluster of characteristics such as low empathy, lack of remorse, and insensitivity to the emotions of others, delineating a group of youth at high risk for severe antisocial behavior. Two variants-primary and secondary CU-have been theorized to have different underlying mechanisms, although mixed findings have been reported. The current study examined if the variants differ in their level of anticipatory fear in 92 youths from the community (mean age = 14.2 years, range = 12.3-16.4 years; 43.5% female). Participants completed a countdown task while their heart rate and skin conductance responses were recorded. Parents and youths completed the inventory of callous-unemotional traits and the child behavior checklist. Compared to the control group (low CU/low anxiety), the primary CU group (high CU/low anxiety) showed prolonged heart rate deceleration in anticipation of the impending aversive stimulus. The secondary CU group (high CU/high anxiety) did not differ from the other two groups on heart rate or skin conductance responses. This prolonged heart rate deceleration in the primary CU group is interpreted in the context of the passive vagal coping theory of antisocial behavior which hypothesizes that an over-engagement of the parasympathetic nervous system reduces the impact of a socializing punishment, which in turn predisposes individuals to antisocial behavior. Findings provide further support for the distinct etiology of two variants of CU traits.

Validating the Revised Mating Effort Questionnaire.

The mating effort questionnaire (MEQ) is a multi-dimensional self-report instrument that captures factors reflecting individual effort in upgrading from a current partner, investment in a current partner, and mate seeking when not romantically paired. In the current studies, we sought to revise the MEQ so that it distinguishes among two facets of mate seeking-mate locating and mate attracting-to enable a more nuanced measurement and understanding of individual mating effort. Moreover, we developed additional items to better measure partner investment. In total, the number of items was increased from 12 to 26. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis revealed that a four-factor solution, reflecting partner upgrading, mate locating, mate attracting, and partner investment, yielded the best fit. In Study 2, this structure was replicated using confirmatory factor analysis in an independent sample. Based on extant studies documenting the relationships between psychopathy, short-term mating effort, and sexual risk taking, a structural equation model (SEM) indicated that trait psychopathy positively predicted mate locating, mate attracting, and partner upgrading and negatively predicted partner investment. A separate SEM showed that partner upgrading positively predicted risky sexual behaviors, while partner upgrading and mate locating positively predicted acceptance of cosmetic surgery.

Criminal behaviors: A theory of mind problem?

Theory of mind (ToM) has been addressed in relation to functional alterations of certain brain regions and their connections. The objective is to evaluate ToM in imprisoned criminal offenders and to analyze their relationship with the functions linked to the prefrontal cortex according to their expression in neuropsychological tests. The sample was composed of 52 subjects. 27 committed instrumental homicides and 25 crimes of sale and/or possession of narcotics. A control group was taken, 19 healthy subjects at liberty. The Faux-Pas (FP) and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes tests were used. A neuropsychological battery of executive functions and functions related to the frontal lobes and Hare's Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) was also applied. The criminal groups have comparable performances in all measures. The control group (in freedom) showed higher performance, with statistical significance, in the Faux-Pas test. Moderate negative correlations were found between the FP and the PCL-R. A distinction between affective and cognitive ToM could be affirmed, with people deprived of liberty presenting deficient functioning in the cognitive ToM test. This difference in performance could be linked to the disruptive event with the social norm and not so much with the violent homicide act itself.

Childhood maltreatment and psychopathy in Chinese juvenile offenders: person-centered perspective.

BACKGROUND: Childhood maltreatment stands as a salient risk factor in the etiology of juvenile delinquency, with a profound impact on the behavioral trajectories of young offenders. However, there is limited research on latent profile analysis to explore distinctive patterns of childhood maltreatment in Chinese juvenile offenders. Consequently, there is a lack of understanding regarding the associations between maltreatment profiles and relevant variables in this context. The present study aimed to explore meaningful subgroups of childhood maltreatment in juvenile offenders, and we further examined the associations between subgroups and multiple outcomes especially psychopathy. METHODS: The data was obtained from a sample of Chinese juvenile offenders (N = 625, M age = 17.22, SD = 1.23). This study employed a latent profile analysis (LPA) based on factor scores of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form to identify the subgroups and examined the differences across subgroups using outcomes variables including psychopathy, callous-unemotional traits, aggression and anxiety. This study includes three self-report measures to evaluate psychopathy, with due regard for the nuanced considerations on the factor structure inherent in the conceptualization of psychopathy. RESULTS: Two subgroups were identified, including the non-maltreatment subgroup (80.2%) and the maltreatment subgroup (19.8%). Maltreatment subgroup was characterized by a greater level of all types of maltreatment with particularly higher of emotion neglect. Besides, we found that maltreatment subgroup showed a significantly higher level of psychopathy across multiple self-report measures, and greater callous-unemotional traits, lack of empathy, aggression and anxiety. We found two subgroups of child maltreatment in Chinese juvenile offenders. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may provide a further understanding of childhood maltreatment and the clinical intervention on psychopathy in the early period.

Psychopathy Scores Predict Recidivism in High-risk Youth: A Five-year Follow-up Study.

Psychopathic traits have been associated with rearrest in adolescents involved in the criminal legal system. Much of the prior work has focused on White samples, short follow-up windows, and relatively low-risk youth. The current study aimed to evaluate the utility of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) for predicting general and violent felony recidivism in a large sample of high-risk, predominantly Hispanic/Latino, male adolescents (n = 254) with a five-year follow-up period. Results indicated higher PCL:YV scores and lower full-scale estimated IQ scores were significantly associated with a shorter time to felony and violent felony rearrest. These effects generalized to Hispanic/Latino adolescents (n = 193)-a group that faces disproportionate risk of being detained or committed to juvenile correctional facilities in the U.S. These results suggest that expert-rated measures of psychopathic traits and IQ are reliable predictors of subsequent felony and violent felony rearrest among high-risk male adolescents.

Meanness and affective processing: A meta-analysis of EEG findings on emotional face processing in individuals with psychopathic traits.

BACKGROUND: The triarchic model (Patrick et al., 2009) conceptualizes psychopathy as a multidimensional construct encompassing three biobehavioral dimensions: meanness, boldness, and disinhibition. Meanness entails low empathy, shallow affect, and lack of remorse, and is associated with poor facial emotion recognition; however, the mechanistic processes contributing to these deficits are unclear. Emotional face processing can be examined on a neurophysiological level using event-related potentials (ERPs) such as N170, P200, and LPP. No quantitative review to date has examined the extent to which amplitude of these ERP components may be modulated by psychopathic traits. METHOD: The current study performed random-effects model meta-analyses of nine studies (N = 1131) which examined affective face processing ERPs in individuals with psychopathic traits to provide an overall effect size for the association between meanness, boldness, and disinhibition and N170, P200, and LPP amplitudes across studies. Analyses were also conducted examining potential moderators and publication bias. RESULTS: N170 amplitudes were significantly smaller (r =.18) among individuals high in meanness when processing fearful faces. Significant effects were not found for N170 amplitude when processing angry or happy faces, nor for LPP and P200 amplitudes across stimulus types. Additionally, significant effects were not found for the association between N170 amplitude and other dimensions of psychopathy. Meta-regression analyses indicated the manipulation of facial stimuli was significant in explaining some between-study heterogeneity of the meanness N170-fear model. No evidence of publication bias was found. CONCLUSIONS: Diminished amplitude of the N170 when viewing fear faces appears to be a neurophysiological marker of psychopathic meanness. Deficits in early encoding of faces may account for empathy deficits characteristic of psychopathy.

Hypothalamic subunit volumes and relations to violence and psychopathy in male offenders with or without a psychotic disorder.

The hypothalamus is key to body homeostasis, including regulating cortisol, testosterone, vasopressin, and oxytocin hormones, modulating aggressive behavior. Animal studies have linked the morphology and function of the hypothalamus to aggression and affiliation, with a subregional pattern reflecting the functional division between the hypothalamic nuclei. We explored the relationship between hypothalamic subunit volumes in violent offenders with (PSY-V) and without (NPV) a psychotic disorder, and the association with psychopathy traits. 3T MRI scans (n = 628, all male 18-70 years) were obtained from PSY-V, n = 38, NPV, n = 20, non-violent psychosis patients (PSY-NV), n = 134, and healthy controls (HC), n = 436. The total hypothalamus volume and its eleven nuclei were delineated into five subunits using Freesurfer v7.3. Psychopathy traits were assessed with Psychopathy Checklist-revised (PCL-R). ANCOVAs and linear regressions were used to analyze associations with subunit volumes. Both groups with a history of violence exhibited smaller anterior-superior subunit volumes than HC (NPV Cohen's d = 0.56, p = 0.01 and PSY-V d = 0.38, p = 0.01). There were no significant differences between HC and PSY-NV. PCL-R scores were positively associated with the inferior tubular subunit on a trend level (uncorrected p = 0.045, Cohen's d = 0.04). We found distinct hypothalamic subunit volume reductions in persons with a history of violence independent of concomitant psychotic disorder but not in persons with psychosis alone. The results provide further information about the involvement of the hypothalamus in aggression, which ultimately may lead to the development of targeted treatment for the clinical and societal challenge of aggression and violent behavior.

Risky Sexual Behavior and Psychopathy: Testing the Relationship in a Non-Clinical Sample of Young Adults in Hong Kong.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between risky sexual behavior (RSB) and psychopathy in a non-clinical sample of 714 Hong Kong adults, shedding light on sex differences. Our findings reveal that males exhibit significantly higher mean levels of RSB (general, penetrative, and nonpenetrative), as well as egocentric (Factor 1) and callous (Factor 3) traits of psychopathy, along with increased sexual desire compared to females. Regression analyses indicate that elevated levels of antisociality (Factor 2) and callousness (Factor 3) traits of psychopathy, along with sexual desire, emerge as significant risk factors for engaging in general, penetrative, and nonpenetrative RSB. Intriguingly, higher age and being in a long-term relationship are associated with RSB. The implications of this study suggest potential avenues for reducing, if not entirely preventing, the inclination to engage in RSB in the presence of psychopathic traits.

Addressing the Complex Links between Psychopathy and Childhood Maltreatment, Emotion Regulation, and Aggression-A Network Analysis in Adults.

Childhood maltreatment is the strongest predictor of psychopathology and personality disorders across the lifespan and is strongly associated with a variety of psychological problems, namely, mood and anxiety disorders, behavioral and personality disorders, substance abuse, aggression, and self-harm. In this study, we aim to provide a comprehensive picture of the interplay between different traits of psychopathy and distinct dimensions of childhood maltreatment, emotion regulation, and aggression. Using a cross-sectional design, we employed correlational network analysis to explore the nomological network of psychopathy and provide a sample-based estimate of the population parameters reflecting the direction, strength, and patterns of relationships between variables. The sample consisted of 846 adults (71% females) who completed questionnaires measuring psychopathy, childhood maltreatment, emotion regulation, and aggression. The results highlight that disinhibition traits of psychopathy are the closest attributes of early experiences of abuse (but not neglect) in childhood and correlate with all dimensions of emotion regulation difficulties, being specifically associated with reactive aggression. Neglect was a unique attribute in the nomological network of meanness, with widespread correlations with emotion regulation difficulties but also an increased ability to engage in goal-directed behavior. Physical abuse was the only dimension of childhood adversity that was found to be intercorrelated with boldness and increased emotional regulation was found in this psychopathic trait. No significant associations were found between boldness, meanness, and aggression once shared variance with disinhibition was controlled. These results are discussed in terms of their implication for research and clinical practice.

Utility of Multiple Specifiers for Subtyping Oppositional Defiant Problems: Investigating Multiple Psychopathy Dimensions as Specifiers.

Past research has speculated that using grandiose-manipulative (GM) and daring-impulsive (DI) traits, rather than solely callous-unemotional (CU) traits, could better inform subtyping youths with behavioral problems. However, this approach remains largely untested. To further enhance our understanding of this matter, the current study utilized self-report (n = 2,381) and parent-report (n = 1,846) data to examine the utility of three psychopathic dimensions as specifiers for oppositional defiant problems (ODP). Findings showed that ODP was a significant predictor of negative outcomes, while the GM, CU, and DI traits emerged as significant predictors of theoretically and clinically relevant external variables (e.g., conduct problems and proactive aggression), independent of ODP (and age, gender, and socioeconomic status), forming the potential foundation for the development of specifiers for ODP. Furthermore, children presenting ODP alongside heightened levels of the three psychopathic traits demonstrated notably higher scores in important external variables compared to other groups, including but not confined to the subgroup of children with ODP and high CU trait levels. Findings provide preliminary support for employing GM and DI traits as specifiers for ODP. However, more comprehensive evaluations of these specifiers' utility would help inform ongoing discussions before definitively concluding they should be included in diagnostic manuals.

Malevolent Monitoring: Dark Triad Traits, Cyber Dating Abuse, and the Instrumental Role of Self-Control.

Cyber dating abuse (CDA) concerns the use of digital technology to control, monitor, and hurt one's intimate partner. CDA can have profound detrimental outcomes, such as mental health problems. As such, it is important to identify intrapersonal factors that may explain these behaviors. Previous research suggests that one such factor is the personality cluster of Dark Triad traits (DTT), comprising Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Additionally, DTT and CDA perpetration have both been linked to poor self-control ability, but these relationships have not yet been tested together in one model. As such, the present study examines if individuals' poor self-control ability mediates the relationship between the DTT and CDA perpetration. To test these associations, we conducted a survey study among a representative sample of Belgian adults (n = 1,144; Mage = 47.66 years; 51.3% female). Findings from correlation analyses revealed that all three DTT were individually associated with CDA perpetration, such that higher scores on these traits corresponded with more CDA perpetration. Additionally, pathway analyses from structural equation modeling revealed that individuals' poor self-control ability fully explained the relationship between Machiavellianism and narcissism and CDA perpetration, and partially explained the relationship between psychopathy and CDA perpetration. As our findings suggest that self-control plays an instrumental role in explaining why individuals control and monitor their partner via digital technology, prevention and intervention efforts should seek ways to improve individuals' self-control ability in situations that may trigger such harmful interpersonal behaviors, particularly among individuals who exhibit Dark Triad personality traits.