Male sub-threshold psychopathic traits and couple distress

Drawing on a representative sample of 152 couples, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the cross-lagged relationships between sub-threshold psychopathic traits in men and couple distress in both men and women over a twelve-month period. Path analyses showed that couple distress in men was related to an exacerbation of their primary psychopathic traits. There was a bidirectional relation between both global and secondary psychopathy in men and their dyadic adjustment. Couple distress in women also predicted an aggravation of secondary psychopathic traits in men.