Eysenck personality questionnaire (EPQ-A) personality traits and PCL-R Psychopathy levels in women prisoners

Headnote

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to establish the existence of a relationship between the psychoticism scale and the psychopathy levels of the PCL-R, determining the presence of associations between these two scales in women deprived of liberty. A descriptive and correlational type of research with a quantitative approach was adopted. The sample was formed from the analysis of the files of 116 women deprived of liberty in the Turi Prison in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. The results show a high correlation between the two instruments used: PCL-R and EPQ-A, although there were variations according to age and marital status. No relationship was found between the variables of both instruments when they were crossed with schooling and type of crime. For the most part, and as a conclusion, the results coincide with the literature.

Keywords: Psychopathy, Personality, Psychoticism, Women, Crime

Resumen

El objetivo principal de este estudio fue establecer la existencia de una relación entre la escala de psicoticismo y los niveles de psicopatía del PCL-R, determinando la presencia de asociaciones entre estas dos escalas en mujeres privadas de libertad. Se adoptó un tipo de investigación descriptiva y correlacional con un enfoque cuantitativo. La muestra se conformó a partir del análisis de los expedientes de 116 mujeres privada de la libertad de la Cárcel del Turi de la ciudad de Cuenca en Ecuador. Los resultados muestran una alta correlación entre los dos instrumentos utilizados: PCL-R y EPQ-A, aunque hubo variaciones según la edad y el estado civil. No se encontró relación entre las variables de ambos instrumentos cuando se cruzaron con la escolaridad y el tipo de delito. En su mayor parte, y como conclusión, los resultados coinciden con la literatura.

Palabras clave: Psicopatía, Personalidad, Psicoticismo, Mujeres, Crimen.

10.5281/zenodo.5512581

Introduction

The concept "psychopathy" has its origin in Benjamin Rush in two works, one in 1786 and the other in 1812, establishing a conceptual axis that deals with a congenital disorder of a moral type that has to do with the lack of ability to distinguish between the good and evil1-3. The meaning of Pinel4 to refer to psychopathy as "delirium without mania" is known. Schneider5 came to distinguish ten types of psychopathy. Cleckley's initial criteria6 is the appearance of external abnormality,...