Personality Behind Bars – The Role of Aversive Traits in Predicting Criminal Behavior

Abstract: This study examined the predictive contributions of the Dark Factor of Personality (D) and maladaptive personality domains (PID-5) to criminologically relevant outcomes in 228 offenders (193 males; M age = 39.5 years, SD = 10.6). Logistic regression models tested predictors of violent versus nonviolent offending, criminal persistence, and prior imprisonment, with three model specifications estimated per outcome: PID-5 only, D only, and both entered simultaneously. PID-5 domains, particularly higher Detachment and lower Antagonism, differentiated violent from nonviolent offenders, whereas D did not contribute independently to this. For recidivism, both frameworks showed modest and largely overlapping predictive utility, with neither demonstrating clear incremental superiority in the combined model. D most parsimoniously predicted prior imprisonment, remaining significant after controlling for PID-5 domains. Overall, the findings support partial complementarity rather than redundancy between the two frameworks, with predictive utility varying as a function of the criminological criterion examined.