Mentalizing mediates the relationship between psychopathy and premeditated criminal offending in schizophrenia: a 6-year follow-up study
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Purpose: Research has shown that schizophrenia augments the risk for criminal behaviour and variables both defining- and related to schizophrenia, increase criminal offending. Premeditated criminal offending is considered a severe form of criminal offending, however, very little is known about what predicts future premeditated criminal offending in schizophrenia. Method and materials: In this 6-year follow-up study we explored which factors underlie future premeditated criminal behaviour in a sample of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (N = 116). We also investigated if a specific mentalizing profile underlie part of the variance of premeditated criminal offending. Results: Results showed that psychopathy underlie future premeditated crime in schizophrenia, and that a specific mentalizing profile, comprised of a dysfunctional emotional and intact cognitive mentalizing profile in relation to others, mediated parts of the relation between psychopathy and premeditated criminal offending. Finally, our results indicated that patients with schizophrenia with a specific mentalizing profile (see above) engaged in premeditated criminal behaviour earlier during the 6-year follow-up period compared to patients with other mentalizing profiles. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that mentalization should carefully be inspected in patients with schizophrenia in relation to future premeditated offending.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Book series | Nordic Journal of Psychiatry |
Volume | 77 |
Issue number | 6 |
Pages (from-to) | 547-559 |
ISSN | 0803-9488 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Nordic Psychiatric Association.
- mentalization, Mentalizing, metacognition, premeditated/impulsive aggression, psychopathy, schizophrenia
Research areas
ID: 367308807