Sexual Sadism and Trauma in Psychopathy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Early Developmental Mechanisms Predicting Sexual Sadism and Psychopathy Amongst Forensic Mental Health Patients
IRAS ID
224145
Contact name
Theodoros Papagathonikou
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen Mary University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Research Summary
Psychopathy is a controversial disorder, which has been associated with violence, crime and antisocial behaviour. Sexual sadism and psychopathy share several common characteristics, such as emotional detachment from the suffering of the others, an inordinate amount of aggression; and they have also been linked to violence, sexual offending, sexual homicide, as well as to non-sexual violence (Meloy, 2001). Although there is a theoretical overlap between psychopathy and sexual sadism, the empirical correlation and measurement of the relationship between the two constructs are very rare within the scientific literature.Considering that the fundamental causes of the psychopathy and sexual sadism remain unclear, this research is designed to investigate the early etiological and developmental mechanisms that could potentially explain and predict psychopathic and sadistic behaviour, such as dysfunctional relationships with caregivers, trauma, narcissism, parental dysfunction, negative care childhood experiences that impact upon adult personality development in individuals who are psychopathic and sadistic. The research has two additional objectives: to establish the potential relationship between sexual sadism and psychopathy; and to research the role of sadism in the construct of psychopathy. To answer these questions, the researcher will distribute questionnaires (RAAS;TEC;RSQ;NPI-16;ASP) to a sample of sixty participants, who have diagnosed as having psychopathy and allocated to a High Secure Mental Health service as part of their pathway plan and treatment.These self-report instruments address trauma, narcissism, sadistic traits and attachment pathologies. The presence of sexual sadism (e.g. taking pleasure from others' discomfort) will be measured using the SESAS in the sample of psychopathic offenders.The researcher will also conduct semi-structured interviews for the qualitative part of the study. Within the sample of 60 participants, those 12 participants with the highest and lowest scores on the Assessment of Sadistic Personality (ASP) will be approached for interview, to a total of 24 interview participants.
Summary of Results
The aim of this study was to understand the life course of psychopathy and sexual sadism.Psychopathy and sexual sadism are two forensic mental health disorders that have been associated at a theoretical and a clinical level. Empirical research has shown that both constructs are linked to various forms of violence, ranged from non-sexual violence to sexual offending and sexual homicides. Furthermore, psychopathic and sadistic patients share several common characteristics, such as emotional detachment from the suffering of the others, and they have been thus far considered to be untreatable, dangerous and at very high risk of reoffending.
Despite the theoretical overlap and the interrelation of psychopathy and sadism, very few studies have sought to explore the covariation of the two constructs, whereas the aetiology of both remain largely unknown.
So, the aim this study was to explore the early environmental antecedents, such as early relational trauma; negative care childhood experiences, including neglect and various forms of abuse (physical, emotional sexual); and attachment abnormalities that impact upon adult upon adult personality development in violent and sexually violent mental health patients and prisoners who were psychopathic and sadistic; and also to investigate how these antecedents are related to violent, sexually violent and sadistic behaviour. Further, the study examined the covariation between psychopathy and sexual sadism.
Based on this, the following questions were considered:
1) What are the early developmental antecedents and psychogenic factors that impact upon adult personality development in individuals who present with psychopathic and sadistic traits?
2) To what extent do they impact upon adult personality development in individuals who are diagnosed with psychopathy and sadism?
3) To what extent are these early developmental issues and trauma related to violent, sexually violent and sadistic behaviour?
The study also has two additional objectives:
1) To investigate the relationship between sexual sadism and psychopathy
2) To research whether sadism is a key trait within the construct of psychopathy.METHODS
This research followed a mixed-method design involving paper-based questionnaires, behavioural scales and semi-structured interviews. Fifty nine participants were recruited. Participants, were both violent and sexually violent service users in the personality disorder services who were allocated to secure mental health hospitals within the National Health System (NHS) as part of their pathway plan and treatment, and offenders in maximum security prisons. Participant selection was based on the type of offence they had been convicted for prior to their admission to the hospital/prison.The study was divided in 2 stages. The first stage involved quantitative research methods. The aim of the quantitative part of the study was to 1) examine the relationship between psychopathy, sexual sadism and trait sadism, and 2) to identify the early environmental antecedents that impact upon adult personality development in patients who were psychopathic and sadistic.
In the qualitative part of the study, 18 participants were selected based on a review of the previous qualitative studies of the same nature. Those participants with the highest and lowest scores on the Assessment of Sadistic Personality (ASP) were approached for a semi-structured interview. The aim of the qualitative interviews was to facilitate the exploration of the function of violence in those with and without significant sadistic traits; to explore the impact of the early environmental antecedents upon adult personality development in the participants; and to investigate the extend to which those early developmental issues and trauma related to violent, sexually violent and sadistic behaviour.
The semi-structure interviews were comprised of three parts: a) early relationship with primary care givers b) function of aggression c) victim-perpetrator dynamics. The method of analysis was thematic analysis; themes were analysed using the object relations school of thought as a theoretical framework.
RESULTS
1. PSYCHOPATHY AND SEXUAL SADISM
• Sexual sadism and trait sadism found to be significantly associated with psychopathy
• Sexual sadism predicted psychopathy in the aforementioned sample of patients and offenders
• Sexually sadistic patients were found to be significantly more psychopathic than their non-sadistic inmates
• The primary aims of the sadistic aggression within the construct of psychopathy were two- fold: First, to enhance the sadistic psychopath’s grandiosity and omnipotent control over his victims, and, second, to protect his vulnerable and fragile psychological self safe and sound and also to defend against the pain and humiliation they suffered in their childhood.
• Sadistic aggression was conceptualised in terms of revenge agains people who did not suffer in the patient's mind what he suffered in the past
• Qualitative results appear to indicate that there is a strong identification with violent and sadistic father (or parental) figure2. TRAUMA, PSYCHOPATHY, AND SEXUAL SADISM
• Adverse experiences in childhood were associated with psychopathy
• Psychopathy predicted traumatic experiences in childhood
• Psychopaths scored higher on trauma questionnaire reporting higher scores on neglect
• Adverse experiences were associated with sexual sadism
• Sexual sadists scored higher on Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment Scale of Traumatic Experience Checklist (TEC)
• Sadistic psychopaths scored higher on Sexual Abuse scale only.
• Both sadistic and non-sadistic psychopaths experienced the following aversive childhood experiences: neglect; parental humiliation; abuse; helplessness; foster home placements
• The sadistic psychopaths mother appeared to be cold, distant and unable to protect them from their father's aggression, whereas the father figure was in most cases violent, abusive and volatile.4. ATTACHMENT ABNORMALITIES AND PSYCHOPATHY
• No association was found between attachment abnormalities and psychopathy
5. ATTACHMENT ABNORMALITIES AND SEXUAL SADISM
• Sexual sadists were found to be less avoidant, less secure and more dismissing when compared to non-sadists
• Sadistic psychopaths were found to be more dismissing comparing to non- sadistic psychopathsHOW THOSE DEVELOPMENTAL ANTECEDENTS ARE RELATED TO VIOLENT AND SEXUALLY VIOLENT BEHAVIOUR?
• Qualitative results appear to suggest that the primary aims of the sadistic aggression within the construct of psychopathy were two- fold: First, to enhance the sadistic psychopath’s grandiosity and omnipotent control over his victims, and, second, to protect his vulnerable and fragile psychological self, and defend against the pain and humiliation they suffered in their childhood.
• Sadistic aggression in psychopathic patients appeared to be triggered by a need for revenge against the pain they suffered during early childhoodREC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EM/0282
Date of REC Opinion
23 Aug 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion