The association between psychopathic traits and religiosity/spirituality among incarcerated adults.

Negative associations between psychopathic traits and religiosity/spirituality have been previously reported in community samples. However, whether similar associations are observed in samples characterized by clinical levels of psychopathic traits remains unknown. The current study investigated the relationship between psychopathic traits and religiosity/spirituality among n = 137 incarcerated participants, including both adult men (n = 47) and women (n = 90). Psychopathic traits were assessed using the expert-rated Hare Psychopathy Checklist - Revised (PCL-R) and religiosity/spirituality was assessed via the self-report Index of Core Spiritual Experiences (INSPIRIT). Consistent with hypotheses, we observed that higher PCL-R total and Facet 2 scores (assessing affective psychopathic traits) were associated with lower INSPIRIT total scores, with the strongest effects observed among men. Our results suggest that individuals with elevated psychopathic traits, particularly men characterized by affective dysfunction (i.e., a lack of empathy, guilt, and remorse), are characterized by lower levels of religiosity/spirituality.