Psychopathic Personality Traits and Risky Sexual Behavior in College Students

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-1-2010

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Risky sexual behavior (RSB) is associated with a variety of negative health and social consequences including STDs and unplanned pregnancies. The present study focused on the association between psychopathic personality traits and RSB. College students (N = 511) completed self-report measures of RSB, psychopathic personality traits, and sensation seeking. When sensation seeking, Fearless Dominance psychopathic traits, and Impulsive Antisociality psychopathic traits were entered as predictors of RSB, only Impulsive Antisociality significantly contributed to the regression. These main effects were qualified by a gender by psychopathic traits interaction: (a) Impulsive Antisociality predicted RSB in both men and women, with a stronger association between Impulsive Antisociality and RSB in men, and (b) Fearless Dominance only predicted RSB in men. Thus, RSB may require both opportunity (associated with Fearless Dominance in men) and a combination of poor judgment and impulsive behavior (associated with Impulsive Antisociality in both men and women). (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Publication Title

Personality and Individual Differences

Volume

49

Issue

1

First Page

29

Last Page

33

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