Karen Yirmiya, Matthew Constantinou, Elizabeth Simes, Anthony Bateman, James Wason, Jessica Yakeley, Mary McMurran, Mike Crawford, Alison Frater, Paul Moran, Barbara Barrett, Angus Cameron, Zoe Hoare, Elizabeth Allison, Stephen Pilling, Stephen Butler, Peter Fonagy
BACKGROUND: The nature of the pathway from conduct disorder (CD) in adolescence to antisocial behavior in adulthood has been debated and the role of certain mediators remains unclear. One perspective is that CD forms part of a general psychopathology dimension, playing a central role in the developmental trajectory. Impairment in reflective functioning (RF), i.e., the capacity to understand one's own and others' mental states, may relate to CD, psychopathology, and aggression. Here, we characterized the structure of psychopathology in adult male-offenders and its role, along with RF, in mediating the relationship between CD in their adolescence and current aggression...
April 2, 2024: Psychological Medicine