Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Physiological Arousal and Juvenile Psychopathy: Is Low Resting Heart Rate Associated with Affective Dimensions?

  • Published:
Psychiatric Quarterly Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A wealth of past research has examined the relationship between low physiological arousal and violence or antisocial behavior. Relatively little research; however, has examined the relationship between low physiological arousal and psychopathic traits, with even less having been conducted with juveniles. The current study attempts to fill this gap by evaluating juveniles’ physiological arousal using resting heart rate and their levels of psychopathic traits. Results suggest that there is indeed an inverse relationship between resting heart rate and the affective traits of psychopathy (Uncaring, Callousness, and Unemotionality) as well as Thrill or Sensation Seeking in males. No significant relationship was found in females. Implications of the findings as well as study limitations and future directions are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Appelhans, BM, Luecken, LJ: Heart rate variability as an index of regulated emotional responding. Review of General Psychology 10:229–240, 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Porges, SW: Vagal tone: A physiologic marker of stress vulnerability. Pediatrics 90:498–504, 1992.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Derryberry D, Rothbart MK: Arousal, affect, and attention as components of temperament. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 55:958–966, 1988.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Raine A: Annotation: The role of prefrontal deficits, low autonomic arousal, and early health factors in the development of antisocial and aggressive behavior in children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 43:417–434, 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Lorber MF: Psychophysiology of aggression, psychopathy, and conduct problems: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin 130:531–552, 2004.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Ortiz J, Raine A: Heart rate level and antisocial behavior in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 43:154–162, 2004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Raine A: Low resting heart rate as an unequivocal risk factor for both the perpetration of and exposure to violence. JAMA Psychiatry 72:962–964, 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Fox BH, Jennings WG, Farrington DP: Bringing psychopathy into developmental and life-course criminology theories and research. Journal of Criminal Justice 43:274–289, 2015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Frick PJ, White SF: Research review: The importance of callous-unemotional traits for developmental models of aggressive and antisocial behavior. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 49:359–375, 2008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Hare RD (Ed): The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. Toronto, Multi-Health Systems, 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Hare, RD(Ed): The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. 2nd edn., Toronto, Multi-Health Systems, 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Patrick CJ, Fowles DC, Krueger RF: Triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy: Developmental origins of disinhibition, boldness, and meanness. Development and Psychopathology 21:913–938, 2009.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Umbach R, Berryessa CM, Raine A: Brain imaging research on psychopathy: Implications for punishment, prediction, and treatment in youth and adults. Journal of Criminal Justice 43:295–306, 2015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Education, MDoEaS: Missouri Assessment Program grade-level assessments: Technical Report Final, 2014.

  15. Cornet LJ, van der Laan PH, Nijman HL, Tollenaar N, de Kogel CH: Neurobiological factors as predictors of prisoners’ response to a cognitive skills training. Journal of Criminal Justice 43:122–132, 2015.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Dillbeck MC, Orme-Johnson DW: Physiological differences between transcendental meditation and rest. American Psychologist 42:879–881, 1987.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Mathias CW, Stanford MS: Impulsiveness and arousal: Heart rate under conditions of rest and challenge in healthy males. Personality and Individual Differences 35:355–371, 2003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. McNamara L, Ballard ME: Resting arousal, sensation seeking, and music preference. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs 125:229–250, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Raine A, Venables PH, Williams M: High autonomic arousal and electrodermal orienting at age 15 years as protective factors against criminal behavior at age 29 years. The American Journal of Psychiatry 152:1595–1600, 1995.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Iyriboz Y, Powers S, Morrow J, Ayers D, Landry G: Accuracy of pulse oximeters in estimating heart rate at rest and during exercise. British Journal of Sports Medicine 25:162–164, 1991.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Bell JM, Bassey EJ: Postexercise heart rates and pulse palpation as a means of determining exercising intensity in an aerobic dance class. British Journal of Sports Medicine 30:48–52, 1996.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Elliott KE, McCall KL, Fike DS, Polk J, Raehl C: Assessment of manual blood pressure and heart rate measurement skills of pharmacy students: A follow-up investigation. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 72:1–6, 2008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Andershed H, Kerr M, Stattin H, Levander S: Psychopathic Traits in Non-referred Youths: Initial Test of a New Assessment Tool. In: Blaauw E, Philippa JM, Ferenschild KCMP, van Lodensteijn B (Eds) Psychopaths: Current International Perspectives, The Hague, Elsevier, pp. 131–158, 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  24. van Baardewijk Y, Stegge H, Andershed H, Thomaes S, Scholte E, Vermeiren R: Measuring psychopathic traits in children through self-report. The development of the youth psychopathic traits inventory– child version. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 31:199–209, 2008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Hillege S, Das J, de Ruiter C: The youth psychopathic traits inventory: Psychometric properties and its relation to substance use and interpersonal style in a Dutch sample of non-referred adolescents. Journal of Adolescence 33:83–91, 2010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Essau CA, Sasagawa S, Frick PJ: Callous-unemotional traits in a community sample of adolescents. Adolescence, 2006. doi:10.1177/1073191106287354

    Google Scholar 

  27. Sijtsema JJ, Veenstra R, Lindenberg S, van Roon AM, Verhulst FC, Ormel J, Riese H: Mediation of sensation seeking and behavioral inhibition on the relationship between heart rate and antisocial behavior: The TRAILS study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49:493–502, 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Eysenck HJ: Personality and the Biosocial Model of Anti-social and Criminal Behaviour. In: Raine A, Brennan P, Farrington D, Mednick S (Eds) Biosocial Bases of Violence, New York, Springer, pp. 21–37, 1997.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  29. Eysenck, HJ. The biological basis of personality. Springfield, IL: Thomas. 1967.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Eysenck HJ(Ed): Crime and Personality. London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Pardini DA, LochmanJE, Frick PJ: Callous/unemotional traits and social-cognitive processes in adjudicated youths. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 42:364–371, 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Vitale JE, Smith SS, Brinkley CA, Newman JP: The reliability and validity of the psychopathy checklist-revised in a sample of female offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior 29:202–231, 2002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Beidel DC, Turner SM, Dancu CV: Physiological, cognitive and behavioral aspects of social anxiety. Behaviour Research and Therapy 23:109–117, 1985.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. De Brito SA, Viding E, Kumari V, Blackwood N, Hodgins S: Cool and hot executive function impairments in violent offenders with antisocial personality disorder with and without psychopathy. Public Library of Science One, 8:1–12, 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Neumann CS, Hare RD: Psychopathic traits in a large community sample: Links to violence, alcohol use, and intelligence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 76:893–899, 2008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Evenden JL: Varieties of impulsivity. Psychopharmacology 146:348–361, 1999.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for support from Department of Education R305F100013 (Dr. Sharon Vaughn) and NIH Grants: K08 HD068545-01A1 (Dr. Barth). The authors are also grateful for support from the Texas Education Agency, Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, the Institute on Educational Sciences Grants (R305F100013, R305A150058, R324A100022 & R324B080008), and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P50 HD052117).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, Saint Louis University, Morrisey Hall, 3700 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA

    Nicholas Kavish

  2. School of Social Work and Department of Epidemiology, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, St.Louis, MO, USA

    Michael G. Vaughn & Brian Boutwell

  3. Meadows Center and Vaughn Gross Center, College of Education, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Eunsoo Cho, Philip Capin, Stephanie Stillman & Leticia Martinez

  4. Department of Special Education, College of Education, University of Missouri, Colombia, MO, USA

    Amy Barth

  5. Department of Special Education, College of Education, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Sharon Vaughn

Authors
  1. Nicholas Kavish
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael G. Vaughn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Eunsoo Cho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Amy Barth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Brian Boutwell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Sharon Vaughn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Philip Capin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Stephanie Stillman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Leticia Martinez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicholas Kavish.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Informed Consent

The institutional review boards of the participating universities approved the conduct of this research, as did the school districts. All study participants provided their informed consent.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kavish, N., Vaughn, M.G., Cho, E. et al. Physiological Arousal and Juvenile Psychopathy: Is Low Resting Heart Rate Associated with Affective Dimensions?. Psychiatr Q 88, 103–114 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-016-9437-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-016-9437-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation