Do adult males with antisocial personality disorder (with and without co-morbid psychopathy) have deficits in emotion processing and empathy? A systematic review

ConclusionThis review found no evidence of empathy deficits in ASPD groups with or without co-morbid psychopathy and only limited evidence of diminished startle reactivity in those with ASPD alone. In contrast, ASPD groups with co-morbid psychopathy were found to exhibit aberrant patterns of affective reactivity and difficulty when processing negative/aversive stimuli which lends support to the notion that these groups may be differentiated in terms of emotional dysfunction. However, as the majority of reviewed studies employed ASPD groups that included participants with co-morbid psychopathy/psychopathic traits and did not delineate effects for ASPD groups with and without co-morbid psychopathy, the degree to which emotion processing deficits were mediated by co-morbid psychopathy or evident in ASPD alone could not be established and further research to compare emotion processing and empathy in both groups is required before firm conclusions can be drawn about the extent of overlap between these populations and/or the differences that exist between them.
Source: Aggression and Violent Behavior - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research