2025/11/05 by María del Carmen Zabala-Baños, Dolores Fernández‐Pérez, María Verónica Jimeno Jiménez +2 · 1 voice
Psychology · Social Sciences · Medicine · #Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending #Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis #Schizophrenia research and treatment
paper · doi:10.1080/1068316x.2025.2584357
openalex publication_date 2025/11/05 · openalex created_date 2025/11/06 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
The presence of people with mental illnesses in prisons is well-documented. However, the relationship between mental illness and aggressive behaviour within prison environments remains insufficiently understood. This study aims to examine the differences in aggression and psychopathic traits among three groups: prisoners with mental illness (PMI), prisoners with no mental illness (PNMI), and a community population group (CP). The sample comprised 165 adult males (18-65 years; M = 41.64, SD = 9.71), recruited from a Spanish prison and a community setting. Our results showed that within the prison population, the PMI subgroup scored significantly higher on various aggression subscales, including physical aggression, anger, and hostility, compared to the PNMI subgroup. Additionally, the PMI group exhibited greater impulsive aggression compared to the CP group. Regression analyses revealed a stronger association between psychopathic traits and aggression in the PMI group than in the other groups. These findings highlight that PMI show lower resilience and more pronounced psychopathic traits; in this context, these traits are associated with higher levels of aggression.