An evaluation of relations among antisocial behavior, psychopathic traits, and alcohol problems in incarcerated men

Background: The association between antisocial behavior and alcohol problems is well established, but the role that psychopathic traits and other factors such as drinking patterns and motives and family history play in this relationship has not been subjected to much empirical scrutiny. Methods: A large sample (n = 329) of male Federal Correctional Institution inmates participated in structured interviews designed to permit diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder and to assess facets of psychopathic personality as defined by the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. Prisoners also completed self-report questionnaires that addressed alcohol use, drinking problems, motives for drinking, and paternal alcoholism history. Results: Analyses revealed that the relation between antisocial behavior and alcohol problems was moderated by scores on the emotional detachment component of psychopathy, and that self-descriptions of drinking for the purpose of coping with negative emotions mediated the positive relation between antisociality and self-reported alcohol problems. Conclusions: These findings highlight complexities in the link between antisociality and drinking problems and encourage consideration of distinct facets of psychopathy to enhance understanding of it. They further suggest possible mechanisms (e.g., paternal alcoholism history, coping motives) that may contribute to the development and maintenance of alcohol problems in criminal populations.