Psychopathy in violent female offenders in Finland

BACKGROUND: The base rate and construct of psychopathy in violent female offenders were examined. SAMPLING AND METHODS: More than half of all violent female offenders in Finland who where either hospitalised (n=12) or incarcerated (n=46) during the year of the study were assessed by the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), Structured Clinical Interview II for DSM-IV, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory-II and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised. RESULTS: PCL-R mean scores and a base rate of psychopathy were found to be in line with earlier studies, showing both lower values and prevalence in females. The PCL-R correlated with symptoms of cluster B personality disorders as well as with depressive personality disorder. Factor 2 was observed to positively correlate with anxiety and depression and negatively with verbal cognitive ability. Logistic regression analysis on the PCL-R items revealed that the items shallow affect, lack of remorse or guilt, conning/manipulation and lack of realistic goals seem to be important indicators of female psychopathy together with callous/lack of empathy, impulsivity and failure to accept responsibility for own actions. CONCLUSION: The finding indicates that the prevalence of psychopathy is lower among female offenders than among male offenders, but further research is needed to examine the base rate of psychopathy in women, and whether the symptoms of psychopathy are expressed differently in women than in men.     

Intoxication and violent women

Alcohol and drugs have been linked to severe violent offending among women as well as men. The purpose of this study was to make a contribution to the limited knowledge of characteristics related to the state of intoxication in violent female offenders. The putative differences in the characteristics of female offenders and their violent offenses in relation to the state of intoxication at the time of the violent offending were examined. Of a nation-wide sample of 109 female offenders found guilty of homicide and other violent crimes and incarcerated in 1999–2000 in Finland, 60 offenders participated in the study. Of these offenders 49 (81.7%) had been intoxicated at the time the of index offenses. These were compared with 11 (18.3%) non-intoxicated offenders using a structured interview, the Structured Clinical Interview II for DSM-IV (SCID-II) and the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). The prevalence of substance abuse or dependence (73.3% and 0%), personality disorder (89.6% and 36.4%), particularly antisocial personality disorder (66.7% and 0%), as well as a history of criminality (69.4% and 0%) were significantly higher among the intoxicated women than among the non-intoxicated. The PCL-R scores were also significantly higher among the intoxicated offenders than among non-intoxicated offenders. The victims of the intoxicated women (23.9%) were less often emotionally close to the perpetrator than were the victims of the non-intoxicated women (66.6%). No differences emerged between the groups in experiences of childhood and adulthood abuse or stressful life events prior to the index crime. The findings indicate that intoxicated violent female offenders exhibit more of the characteristics previously found in violent men, than do the non-intoxicated female offenders. Moreover, the non-intoxicated group comprises both psychotic non-responsible and non-psychotic, fairly well-adjusted women, who are educated, working or studying at the time of the offense and has no history of criminality. Substance misuse constitutes an obvious risk factor for violent behavior in women, and therefore the prevention should include substance abuse treatment.     

Repeated neonaticide: differences and similarities to single neonaticide events

Archives of Women's Mental Health - This study aims to identify differences between single and repeat perpetrators of filicide by using register-based data. The study used register-based,...     

Violent women,blame attribution,crime, and personality

BACKGROUND: The attribution of blame for criminal act has an impact, both on the way the offender must come to terms with the offence and on the risk of recidivism. Blame attribution has been found to be related to the type of crime and personality. AIMS: This study examined the relationship of blame attribution and feelings of guilt in violent female offenders, according to factors related to crime, background and personality. METHODS: The Gudjonsson Blame Attribution Inventory (BAI) and the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) were administered to 58 violent female offenders. The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), Structured Clinical Interview II for DSM-IV (SCID II) and clinical interviews were used for assessment. RESULTS: Lower scores of guilt feelings were found in women than has been reported for men. The feelings of guilt were higher in homicide than in other violent crimes, but lower in the cases where women had committed prior violent crimes. No differences were found between psychiatric patients and prisoners. The duration of hospitalisation and incarceration did not result in differences in blame attribution and guilt, but when the victims survived, guilt feelings seemed to increase with the passing of the time. External attribution was related to motives of crime, but traumatic experiences did not have a crucial impact upon blame attribution. The attribution of blame and the amount of guilt feelings were found to be related to personality. Women scoring high on psychopathy reported less guilt than women with low scores. The corresponding result was not obtained in the group of women with antisocial personality disorder, who, however, showed an unexpectedly low use of external attribution. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that it might be difficult for women to cope with the violent offence and that the characteristics of psychopathy seems to have a crucial impact on the guilt feelings and consequently on coping with the crime in female offenders.     

Neonaticides may be more preventable and heterogeneous than previously thought – neonaticides in Finland 1980–2000

Summary Neonaticide is a sad and infrequent crime with possibly a high level of underreporting. The aim of this study was to examine the circumstances of neonaticide, and whether there are subtypes of offenders, or suggestions for prevention. The study was retrospective and register-based using comprehensive nation-wide material of all cases of suspected neonaticide during 1980–2000 in Finland. Out of the 50 suspected cases, 32 women were included in the final analyses as neonaticide offenders. Most women (91%) had concealed their pregnancy, which was not the first for 66%. Most (66%) were not quite sure why they had offended, and the most frequent (63%) method of operation was neglect. Four women were diagnosed psychotic and formed a specific group. We concluded that there might be specific subgroups of offenders – even though our small population limited conclusions. Furthermore, prevention might be heightened. We call for international joint projects for enlarged material to enable grouping, as well as education and discussion among the public and the professionals to prevent neonaticide, unify its jurisprudence and improve the treatment of the offenders.     

Gender differences in legal outcomes of filicide in Austria and Finland

Archives of Women's Mental Health - Female offenders of filicide have been found to receive more lenient legal handling than male offenders. We aimed to discover these possible gender...     

Filicide in Austria and Finland - A register-based study on all filicide cases in Austria and Finland 1995-2005

Background

It has been suggested that dopamine dysfunction may play a role in bipolar disorder (BD). An indirect approach to examine this issue was developed, focusing on associations between dopamine proxy measures observed in BD (dopamine-related clinical traits using tardive movement syndromes as dopamine proxy measure of reference).

Methods

3459 eligible bipolar patients were enrolled in an observational study. Incidence rates of tardive movement syndromes (tardive dyskinesia and tardive dystonia; TDD) were examined. A priori hypothesized associations between incident TDD and other dopamine proxies (e.g. prolactin-related adverse effects, bipolar symptoms) were tested over a 2 year follow-up period.

Results

The incidence rate of tardive syndromes was 4.1 %. Incident TDD was independently associated not only with use of antipsychotics, but also with more severe bipolar symptoms, other extrapyramidal symptoms and prolactin-related adverse effects of medication.

Conclusion

Apart from the well-known association with antipsychotics, development of TDD was associated with various other dopamine proxy measures, indirectly supporting the notion of generalised dopamine dysregulation in BD.     

Potential predictors in neonaticide: the impact of the circumstances of pregnancy

This study aims to evaluate the psychosocial factors of neonaticide, especially the circumstances before delivery, the relationships of the pregnant women, and their social environment awareness of women's pregnancy. This nationwide study was register-based, comprising all known neonaticides in Austria and Finland between 1995 and 2005. Cases (n = 28) were obtained by screening the death certificates from coroner's departments and by analyzing them along with all further available reports. Few women (17.9 %, 5/28) admitted their pregnancy to others. Although most (16/28) offenders were in a relationship, the partner had knowledge of the pregnancy in only three cases. The main motive for negation of the pregnancy (named in 60.8 % of cases) was fear of abandonment/negative response from others. The fertility rate among the women was high, but half of those with children had lost the custody of them. In neonaticide, the lack of awareness surrounding offenders' pregnancy, as well as the awareness of social environment, is more relevant than any other social variable.