Psychopathy and sexual sadism in the context of forensic and psychological evaluations

The objective of the present article is to provide an examination of the interrelationships between sexual sadism, psychopathy, and violence. Sexual sadism and psychopathy are frequently regarded as synonymous with sexual criminality. Psychopathy is a severe form of antisocial personality disorder (AS PD) characterised by a lack of empathy and remorse, high self-esteem, a manipulative interpersonal style, and poor behavioural control [1]. Furthermore, individuals diagnosed with psychopathy are more likely to commit violent or sexual crimes and have a higher rate of recidivism in comparison to individuals not diagnosed with psychopathy [2, 3]. Conversely, sexual sadism is predominantly associated with a need for control, sexual paraphilias, and atypical behaviours observed at the crime scene. However, it should be noted that the actual prevalence of sexual sadism (and its variants, such as sadistic violence) among sex offenders is unknown [4]. Research has indicated a moderate yet statistically significant correlation between psychopathy and sexual sadism in sex offenders and sexual murderers [5]. A review of the extant literature in this area reveals that few studies have sought to ascertain the comorbidity of these two concepts, and even fewer have addressed the conceptualisation of similarities in predicting violence in each of them. Consequently, an analysis of the current debate regarding their role in the origins of criminal behaviour is of significant importance for theoretical, empirical, and clinical implications in the field of forensic science.