Problems of Forensic Sciences 2009 Vol. 78 (LXXVIII) 184-207
PSYCHOPATHY AGAINST RISK FACTORS OF VIOLENCE IN JUVENILE BOYS AND GIRLS
Łukasz BARWIŃSKI1, Józef K. GIEROWSKI2,3
1Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
2Institute of Forensic Research, Krakow, Poland
3Faculty of Psychiatry, Collegium Medicum of Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
Streszczenie
The aim of the conducted research was to analyse criminal behaviours of juveniles from the point of view of psychopathy and risk factors of violent behaviours. Additionally, an attempt to identify inter-gender differences in the sphere of the influence of a specific configuration of psychopathy and risk factors on aggression understood as a measurable indicator of violent behaviours was made. The study embraced 193 juveniles (75 girls and 118 boys) from reformatories in Pszczyna, Racibórz and Zawiercie. A scale of psychopathic tendencies for juveniles – PCL-YV, an applied risk assessment tool for use with adolescents – SAVRY and the AQ aggression scale were used in the research. The results showed the presence of a statistically significant correlation between psychopathy and risk factors. The higher the level of psychopathy manifested by examined persons, the higher the level of risk factors associated with them. Moreover, it was ascertained that most probably there are no inter-gender differences in the level of psychopathy achieved by juveniles. Nevertheless, it seems possible that juveniles who have a high intensity of psychopathic characteristics may differ when it comes to the structure of particular dimensions of psychopathy depending on their gender. No specific configurations of psychopathy and risk factors depending on gender which could explain the higher level of aggression were diagnosed.
Słowa kluczowe
Juvenile criminality; Aggression risk factors; Psychopathy.