Personen mit einem hohen Maß an psychopathischen Merkmalen hatten ein 9,3-fach höheres Risiko, an Schizophrenie zu erkranken, verglichen mit Personen mit einem geringen Maß an diesen Merkmalen. Bei Personen, die als psychopathisch eingestuft wurden, war die Wahrscheinlichkeit, an Schizophrenie zu erkranken, 2,37-mal höher als bei Personen, die nicht psychopathisch waren.

Psychopathic traits are associated with a substantially increased risk of schizophrenia

An analysis of hospital records combined with data from the Care Register for Health Care in Finland showed that **individuals with high levels of psychopathic traits had a 9.3 times higher risk of developing schizophrenia compared to individuals with low levels of these traits. Individuals classified as psychopathic were 2.37 times more likely to develop schizophrenia compared to their non-psychopathic peers**. The research was published in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.

Psychopathic traits are a constellation of personality characteristics involving shallow emotional experience, reduced empathy, and limited remorse for harming others. Individuals high in these traits tend to show callousness, emotional detachment, and difficulty forming genuine interpersonal bonds. They may be superficially charming and socially assertive while lacking emotional depth.

Psychopathic traits also include manipulativeness, deceitfulness, and a tendency to exploit others for personal gain. Impulsivity and poor behavioral control are common, leading to risk-taking and rule-breaking behavior. Some individuals display chronic irresponsibility, failing to honor obligations in work, family, or social life. These traits exist on a continuum in the general population and are not limited to criminal or clinical groups. They tend to be stable over time.

Results showed that, compared to participants with low levels of psychopathic traits, those with moderate traits had a 5.3 times higher risk of being hospitalized for schizophrenia, while the risk was 9.3 times higher for those with high levels of psychopathic traits. When looking at individuals classified as psychopathic and those not in that category, individuals classified as psychopathic were 2.37 times more likely to develop schizophrenia. 20% of individuals classified as psychopathic developed schizophrenia over the follow-up period.

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acps.70027

Ive never heard of this association between psychopathy and schizophrenia before very interesting. Im not sure why this association hasn’t been investigated before but its definitely worth further study.