Therapeutic Alliance Moderates Psychopathy-Outcome Relation in Treatment of Substance-Abusing Offenders

The present study attempts to clarify the relationship between psychopathy, the therapeutic alliance, and success of offender treatment. In a German sample of n = 89 convicted men in addiction treatment, we examined whether early therapeutic alliance ratings moderated the relationship between psycho...

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VerfasserInnen: Heintzsch, Ronja (Verfasst von) ; Hausam, Joscha (Verfasst von)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: 2026
In: International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology
Jahr: 2026, Band: 70, Heft: 2/3, Seiten: 228-243
Online-Zugang: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Verfügbarkeit prüfen: HBZ Gateway
Schlagwörter:
treatment outcome
WAI-R
PCL-R
Moderation
Offender treatment
Working alliance
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:The present study attempts to clarify the relationship between psychopathy, the therapeutic alliance, and success of offender treatment. In a German sample of n = 89 convicted men in addiction treatment, we examined whether early therapeutic alliance ratings moderated the relationship between psychopathy, as measured by the Psychopathy Checklist – Revised (PCL-R), and treatment success within the first 6 months. Results indicated that a moderation model is appropriate, as the association between total PCL-R and treatment success differed as a function of perceived therapeutic alliance. Specifically, high psychopathy impaired treatment success when the alliance was simultaneously poor. Conversely, a good alliance seemed to buffer the adverse effects of psychopathy. No differential associations were found for PCL-R Factor 1 and Factor 2, and the moderation model held for both client-rated as well as therapist-rated alliance. Implications for improving treatment programs for psychopathic patients are discussed.
ISSN:1552-6933
DOI:10.1177/0306624X251337484