4 research outputs found
Women and men who committed murder: male/female psychopathic homicides
The present study was designed to compare gender differences in psychiatric diagnosis with the dimension of psychopathy in
women and men who had attempted or committed homicide. The study samples consisted of 39 homicidal females and 48 homicidal males who
were confined in one of Italy’s REMS or prison facilities in two southern provinces of Italy (Puglia and Basilicata). Assessment instruments
included the SCID-5, the PID-5 IRF, and the PCL-R. Each gender group was stratified according to the level of criminal responsibility for the homicidal
offense (full, partial, absent), and after assessments, according to the degree of the psychopathic dimension. There were clear gender differences
in homicidal individuals. Female offenders were less likely to have had a record of criminal charges/convictions or imprisonment, and their
homicides were more often intrafamilial, victimizing especially of their children, whereas males targeted intimate partners and extrafamilial victims.
In the entire group, there was an inverse relationship between the level of psychopathy and the personality disorder on one side, and the psychotic
disturbance on the other. Factor 2 (lifestyle/antisocial dimension) of the PCL-R was higher among the homicidal males, whereas females tended to
score higher on Factor 1 (the interpersonal/affective dimension). Finally, if the psychopathic dimension is a qualifier for antisocial personality disorder,
as indicated in DSM-5, this appears to be less true for females who tend to have other personality disorders