Recalled parental bonding, current attachment, and the triarchic conceptualisation of psychopathy

• Suboptimal parenting has been implicated in the development of psychopathy.
• Mediation analysis explored whether attachment functioning mediated this link.
• Both attachment anxiety and avoidance mediated certain parenting-psychopathy links.
• Only paternal overprotection maintained a direct effect on levels of disinhibition.
• Such links may prove exploitable for the purpose of prevention/intervention schemes.

The current investigation examined whether attachment functioning might mediate the effects of parenting on traits associated with psychopathy. Participants completed the Parental Bonding Instrument, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, and the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure within a cross-sectional design. Whilst several recalled parenting variables demonstrated significant correlations with the psychopathy subscales, mediation analyses confirmed that the majority of these effects were mediated by current attachment anxiety and avoidance. Only paternal overprotection maintained a significant direct effect on levels of disinhibition. These findings provide support for the argument that attachment dysfunction may represent a potential mechanism through which parenting practices contribute to the emergence of psychopathy-related traits. Inferences regarding causality and mechanisms of effect are naturally constrained by the cross-sectional design of the current investigation, but the preliminary findings presented warrant further examination within prospective designs.