The role of social and economic inequality in shaping antisocial personality traits.

Abstract

Objective

: To test the ecology of the development of antisocial personality disorder traits (ASPD).

Methods

: A mixed-effects model was used to examine how sex, age, childhood misconduct, depressive symptoms, parenting practices, socioeconomic status, social inequality, and economic inequality predicted ASPD traits. Individual level data were sourced from the International Dating Violence database (n = 14,136; mean age = 20.49, SD = 1.70), which included 4,167 men (mean age = 20.67, SD = 1.71) and 9,969 women (mean age = 20.42, SD = 1.70). Macro-level inequality data were obtained from the Variety of Democracy database.

Results

: ASPD traits were more prevalent among boys (b = - 0.14, p < .001) and positively associated with childhood misconduct (b = 0.19, p < .001), depressive symptoms (b = 0.17, p < .001), and socioeconomic status (b = 0.02, p < .001), while negatively associated with age (b = -0.01, p < .001) and positive parenting (b = -0.15, p < .001). The impact of depressive symptoms increased when economic inequality was higher (b = 0.04, p < .001). The influence of positive parenting on ASPD traits was stronger for boys (b = 0.04, p = .013) and those with less depressive symptoms (b = 0.06, p < .001) and varied based on societal equality, being more pronounced in socially equal (b = -0.03, p = .006) but economically unequal (b = 0.02, p = .031) contexts.

Conclusion

: The findings highlight the complex interplay of individual, familial, and societal factors in developing ASPD traits. These results underscore the need to promote positive parenting practices and address structural inequalities to reduce ASPD traits. Future research should explore the mechanisms underlying these associations to guide targeted interventions.