A Longitudinal Test of the Mediational Role of Delinquent Peer Association on the Link Between Psychopathy and Offending

Although prior research has found that psychopathy and delinquent peer association are predictors of delinquency, less research has assessed the dynamic role of peers in the relationship between psychopathic traits and offending. Using 10 waves of data from the Pathways to Desistance longitudinal study (n = 1,354), the current exploratory study investigates the impact of changes in delinquent peer association on the relationship between psychopathy and self-reported offending. Although the effects are small, results indicate that youth with higher Psychopathy Checklist Youth Version (PCL:YV; Forth et al.) scores report higher initial levels of delinquent peer association, which results in increases in offending over the study period. Initial levels (intercept) and change (slope) in delinquent peer association are positively associated with offending. Findings also demonstrate that initial levels and changes in delinquent peer association mediate the relationship between psychopathy and changes in offending. The findings have implications for delinquency prevention and intervention efforts for all adolescents and particularly serious offenders.