NCJ Number
190208
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 28 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2001 Pages: 522-536
Date Published
August 2001
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study explored the traits related to individual differences in antisocial behavior in men.
Abstract
A major difficulty in understanding individual differences in antisocial behavior is its large number of empirically determined correlates. Male undergraduates and men from the local community in Ontario, a total sample of 444, completed questionnaires dealing with antisocial behavior, aggression, mating effort, and self-esteem. Variables pertaining to mating effort included number of sexual partners per sexually active year, age at first intercourse after puberty, and the PVCS Scale, which is a measure of preference for short-term relationships. Variables pertaining to aggression and delinquency included the CAT Scale-SR and the Physical Aggression, Verbal Aggression, Hostility, and Anger subscales of the AQ. The CAT-SR established eight variables describing childhood and adolescent delinquent and antisocial characteristics. The AQ is a rating system that is a valid assessment of aggression in offender populations. Variables pertaining to general and sexual/romantic self-esteem were the Self-Esteem Scale and the SPMS Scale. The Self-Esteem Scale is positively related to sexual history items in men. The SPMS measures the extent to which individuals believe that they are able to attract members of the opposite sex. An exploratory maximum likelihood factor analysis revealed three factors labeled Aggressiveness, Mating Success, and Antisociality. No clear mating effort factor emerged. Number of sexual partners and Preference for Partner Variety loaded on Mating Success, but age at first intercourse loaded on Antisociality. The only significant correlation among the factors was between Aggressiveness and Antisociality. Variables from each of the three factors discriminated between individuals scoring at the extreme ends of the Childhood and Adolescence Taxon Scale-Self Report, a measure containing items previously shown to identify a discrete class of antisocial offenders. 3 tables, 24 references